Ekosem-Agrar, the German holding company of Russian milk producer EkoNiva Group, has continued its expansion with the acquisition of a dairy farm near St Petersburg.

With the purchase of the OAO Trud farm, which has around 750 dairy cows, Ekosem-Agrar is now represented in the Leningrad region, which surrounds St Petersburg, for the first time.

In addition to taking over further farms and agricultural land, two new dairy cow facilities are to be built in the region by the end of 2022.

The medium-term goal of Ekosem-Agrar is to process around 200 tons of raw milk per day for the greater St Petersburg area.

Stefan Dürr, CEO of Ekosem-Agrar, said: “With Leningrad, we have opened up our ninth region in Russia. This region is particularly attractive for the sale of our dairy products due to its economic importance for Russia and its increased purchasing power.

“This brings us a good step closer to our strategic goal of becoming the first integrated producer of high-quality milk products with nationwide coverage.”

The news comes a month after Ekosem-Agrar announced it completed its largest dairy cow facility to date in Siberia’s Novosibirsk region.

With space for 6,000 dairy cows, the facility will achieve a milk output of around 180 tons per day when at full capacity.

Last year, Ekosem-Agrar launched its EkoNiva dairy range, consisting of products such as fresh milk, kefir, sour cream, curd, butter, yogurt and cheese.

The company said it aims to address the growing number of quality-conscious Russian consumers with the line.