Two fertiliser factories, formerly part of the Interagro group and located in Săvinești and Turnu Măgurele, are being offered for sale by the liquidator, Sierra Quadrant. The factories, Ga-Pro-Co and Donau Chem, are available for direct negotiation starting at EUR 17.8 million plus VAT and EUR 18 million plus VAT, respectively, according to Ziarul Financiar.

"The lack of production directly impacts agriculture, a vital sector for the national economy. Given the ongoing war in Ukraine, this issue extends beyond national borders, affecting regional supply chains and increasing the need for local solutions to secure fertiliser supplies for agriculture," explained Ovidiu Neacșu, coordinating partner at Sierra Quadrant.

The Ga-Pro-Co Chemicals industrial platform includes 719,297 sqm of urban land and various buildings and constructions. The Donau Chem complex spans 1,433,710 sqm and features buildings and specialised structures that support the production process. 

Both factories are equipped to produce urea, ammonia, nitric acid, ammonium nitrate/nitrolime, and liquid fertilisers. Their assets also include transportation infrastructure for both road and rail.

Of the six factories that once belonged to the Interagro group, three have been purchased by local entrepreneur Eusebiu Guțu, the owner of the Pambac Bacău bakery group. Guțu acquired Amurco Bacău for EUR 3 million and Nitropos Făgăraș for EUR 8.2 million, and he previously took over the Chemgas factory in Slobozia in the spring of 2021 for EUR 25 million.

All six chemical plants within the Interagro group, along with the group itself, have been bankrupt for several years. At full capacity, the factories consumed approximately 2.7 billion cubic metres of natural gas annually, making them collectively the largest gas consumers in Romania, second only to Azomureș.

In light of these challenges, prime minister Marcel Ciolacu recently stated during an interview with Romania TV that the government is in talks with several major companies to reopen and establish new fertiliser plants.

"We currently import 60% of the fertiliser we need. We are in discussions with three or four large companies to reopen and launch new fertiliser factories. Gas extraction from the Black Sea is expected to begin in 2027, and we must have at least one factory operational by then," he said, as reported by Economica.net.

iulian@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Dusan Kostic/Dreamstime.com)