A European giant, Ukraine, is utilizing its most abundant asset − land − to buoy itself during recent years of economic turbulence. Europe’s second largest country by area, USDA FAS estimates the nation uses approximately 42 million of its 60 million hectares as agricultural land. Two of the main categories of crops cultivated there, grains and oilseeds, have doubled and tripled in output respectively in the last decade, allowing for parallel growth in the crop input market. One company experiencing this positive trend firsthand is Kiev-based LLC Spectr-Agro.
Fundada hace tres años, justo cuando la ola de rentabilidad agrícola comenzaba a crecer, la empresa cuenta con 18 sucursales y atiende alrededor de 75% del país. Mykola Glushko, director comercial de LLC Spectr-Agro, dice que la empresa se ha convertido en su vida. El negocio, dice, ha visto crecer el mercado nacional de insumos agrícolas de 10% a 15% solo en el último año, especialmente en los sectores de fungicidas e insecticidas. Los cambios climáticos, incluido un aumento de las precipitaciones, han contribuido a este impulso.
As for Glushko’s advice to other distributors looking for success in the region, he breaks it down into three categories.
Cadena de suministro confiable
Glushko says there is nothing more important than the product. LLC Spectr-Agro assures its high-quality products by dealing only with reputable suppliers to avoid illegal or subpar products. Furthermore, a varied portfolio is necessary to serve the wide range of national crops that include winter wheat, oilseed, spring barley and corn, as well as sunflowers and sugar beets. Carrying 700 generic and private products from companies like DuPont, Cheminova, and Makhteshim Agan, LLC Spectr-Agro’s portfolio is well stocked to serve the vast array of crops grown in the country. Glushko says adapting to the different size operations for ordering purposes is something distributors interested in tapping into Ukraine’s growing crop input market should be aware of.
Personal bien capacitado
Para lo que Glushko considera operaciones pequeñas (300 a 500 hectáreas) a fincas medianas (5,000 a 7,000 hectáreas), los distribuidores deben estar preparados para capacitar a su personal no solo en métodos de venta, sino también en asesoramiento agronómico. Para preparar a sus empleados para que ofrezcan una sólida experiencia agrícola, la empresa ofrece formación en todos los aspectos del conocimiento, la manipulación y la seguridad del producto.
Employing the motto, “Use the best in your field to be more attractive for the consumer of your yield,” the company takes education seriously. Going beyond those on its payroll, LLC Spectr-Agro also provides a series of seminars to teach farmers to use crop protection products according to high level standards. This practice, Glushko says, caters to customers that are looking for recommendations on newer products and application methods. Although he adds that the Ukrainian market is less focused on newer products and more concerned with what will keep their yields high regardless of novelty.
Mantenerse al día con los cambios legislativos
Las empresas deben poder mantenerse al día con las restricciones de importación y exportación en constante cambio, ya que la nación todavía está experimentando dolores de crecimiento en su mercado en expansión.
Glushko dice que LLC Spectr-Agro actualiza periódicamente sus estándares de seguridad y presta atención a las nuevas regulaciones e implementaciones de políticas para mantenerse en la cima del mercado en constante cambio.