Giving investors food for thought
Russia builds a future for wheat
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"We’re a highly needed play given that Russia is a net importer of food"
Michel Orlov, Black Earth Farming |
Some three years on and as the head of a listed public company valued at $1.2 billion and counting, Orlov can safely claim to have proved many of his doubters wrong. Despite the after-effects of a chest infection, Orlov as an interviewee is as expansive as the company he now heads, and displays more than a little of the missionary zeal of anybody who has overseen the translation of a concept into reality. "Black Earth Farming is my baby, so to speak, and without wishing to sound arrogant I’m very proud of it," he says.
Although at first sight the idea of a one-time Invesco and Carlyle Capital partner making the switch into Russian agriculture might seem surprising, Orlov says there are obvious parallels between the two industries. "Private equity is all about discovering value and that’s what we’re doing with Black Earth Farming," he says. "I’m a pioneer and Black Earth Farming is a pioneering company which is executing a transformation – not to say a revolution even – in the agricultural sector in Russia." Orlov says that contrary to popular opinion in some quarters the concept behind Black Earth Farming is more that just a real estate play manqué.
"It’s foolish to think that you can just buy agricultural land in Russia and make money, you have to work out how to work it properly. We’re more than just a land bank – we’re applying state-of-the-art management, machinery, financial and agronomic methods and creating a new industry model."
While strong soft commodities prices have undoubtedly helped to boost the equity valuation of the company, Orlov contends that in essence Black Earth is addressing a fundamental issue. "We’re a highly needed play given that Russia is a net importer of food."