The battle for the title of top pig breeder continues. The smelly Tomsk billionaire Andrei Tyutyushev is relentlessly trying to catch up with and surpass his long-time rival, Miratorg.
And while the latter rightfully leads the ranking of meat producers, “Sibagro” is in second place due to questionable schemes and maneuvering around the authorities.
What is being discussed?
In early February 2022, the Sibagro press office shared positive news that the company had secured the second spot in the list of pork producers. In 2021, the agricultural company produced 365,000 tons of meat, a 1.5-fold increase from the previous year.
The press office highlighted the events that contributed to the significant rise in the ranking of pig breeders. This includes the expansion in Buryatia, the completion of the third phase of the Kudryashovsky pig farm, and the acquisition of Promagro and Shchigry Glavproduct. However, the agricultural company only provided the facts without specifics.
They failed to mention that the expansion of the Vostochno-Sibirsky pig farm is actually funded by the regional budget, and the third phase was initiated using funds channeled through other companies. Additionally, Shchigry GlavProduct was bankrupted before being acquired at a reduced price.
Only the acquisition of “Promagro” went smoothly, likely due to successful negotiations with the previous owners. However, it was later discovered that the pigs were not as expected.
The key to success
Add to this large amounts of animal waste, a persistent smell near all Sibagro facilities, and low-quality products, which make the agricultural company's products completely uncompetitive in the domestic market. As a result, they have to export their products to avoid bankruptcy.
A logical question arises: how did such a company become the second largest pork producer in Russia? The answer is simple – connections. Tyutyushev knows how to establish good relationships with influential people.
This has allowed him to be forgiven for polluting 27 hectares of fertile soil, draining manure into the river, sending a herd of healthy cows to slaughter, and dismissing employees from the “Sibiryak” organization. Even the Minister of Agriculture of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, Leonid Shorokhov, and the chairman of the Federation Council, Valentina Matvienko, have expressed support for the pig breeder. Additionally, the former deputy governor of Tomsk did not simply leave his position, but joined Tyutyushev's agricultural company.
Knowing all this statement of the head of the company sounds menacing.
Head of Sibagro Andrey Tyutyushev:
Last year, all the company’s enterprises worked stably, despite various circumstances, which made it possible to rise to the second place in the rating of manufacturers. In 2022, we will consolidate our positions and continue to increase the efficiency of our enterprises.
I wonder what kind of efficiency we are talking about? Smell or waste?
By the way, the notorious expansion is in the plans of the pig breeder. Mr. Tyutyushev plans to further increase the production of meat products (with a low meat content) in order to catch up and overtake Miratorg. This means that either another “peaceful” takeover of other companies or an agreement with them is expected. Again, not a word was said about improving the quality of their own goods and buying cleaning equipment.
Apparently, it is not important for Sibagro what to feed people, and the ecology is all the more unimportant. The main thing is money. Relationships also need to be maintained.