The investment in the construction by Bayer of the Monsanto plant in the village of Pochuiky (Zhytomyr region) for the production of corn seeds will be EUR60 million, said head of Zhytomyr regional military administration Vitaliy Bunechko.
"Today, together with the director of Monsanto Seeds LLC Volodymyr Onyschenko, we laid a symbolic "time capsule" at the construction site of the new facilities of this enterprise. More than EUR60 million of additional investments during the war is the best evidence not only of international support for Ukraine, but also of the fact that large investors believe in our victory," he wrote on Telegram.
Bunechko stressed that Monsanto Seeds is already one of the largest seed plants in Eastern Europe. It provides corn hybrids not only to Ukrainian farmers, but also to farmers in Romania, Hungary and France. After the construction of additional capacities, its potential will increase even more.
"The expansion of production is at the same time the creation of new jobs in Zhytomyr region, an increase in tax revenues to the budget, as well as foreign exchange earnings, which is very important for the Ukrainian economy in a war," he said.
At the same time, the official noted the responsible position of Bayer, which in 2022, two months after the start of the full-scale invasion to support farmers who were sowing in extremely difficult conditions, handed over 140 tonnes of Monsanto corn seeds to them free of charge.
As reported, investments will be directed to the construction of a new seed dryer, the purchase of modern agricultural equipment, the construction of storage facilities and two bomb shelters for employees.
The company employs about 100 full-time employees and 250 to 300 seasonal workers.
The plant is one of the largest in the region.
Bayer is a multinational company that operates in the field of medicine and agriculture. The company headquarters is located in Leverkusen, Germany. In 2022, the Bayer group of companies employed approximately 101,000 people and generated sales of EUR50.7 billion.
The company has been operating in Ukraine since 1992 and is represented by a pharmaceutical division, an over-the-counter medicines division, and an agricultural division. The total number of employees is 700 people.
