Newly elected to join the Joint Business Cooperation Council between Ukraine and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is Yuriy Melnyk.
An experienced and highly respected academic and businessman in Ukraine, Melnyk is the deputy CEO for Sustainable Development at MHP. He is also chair of the Supervisory Board of the MHP-Gromadi Charitable Foundation.
Formation of the Council reflects a deepening of the economic and political connections between the two countries, according to MHP.
Focusing on key areas of potential growth, it is hoped that the Council will bring together businesses from both nations, stimulate investment, open up trade opportunities, and act as a platform for regular business discussions and other events.
Among the areas identified for closer cooperation are farming and food processing.
For Ukrainian exporters, the council promises opportunities for greater access to the Saudi Arabian market, and an exchange of information on developments in business and markets.
MHP builds on existing partnerships in the Kingdom
Ukraine-based MHP is an international agrifood group with experience of partnerships in Saudi Arabia.
Among these is the MHP Saudi Arabia Trading Company, which was founded in 2021. With offices in Jeddah and Riyadh, it has a workforce of more than 60. After just two years, its sales amounted to close to 80,000 metric tons.
Furthermore, as evidence of the growing cooperation, the Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Company acquired more than 12% of MHP’s publicly traded shares in 2024.
To help promote understanding between the two countries, MHP has undertaken to share its experiences in Saudi Arabia with other companies in Ukraine. Key areas for better future cooperation it sees in understanding business practices and regulations, as well as identifying opportunities for investment.
“It is a great honor for us to join the business dialog that is growing between Ukraine and Saudi Arabia,” said Melnyk. “As a leading poultry producer in Europe and globally, MHP is ready to share its expertise and experience. We are currently supplying 20% of all poultry imports to Saudi Arabia and know this market well and understand its specifics, given we have been successfully operating there for several years.”
He went on to say that closer cooperation with Saudi Arabia will open up opportunities for Ukrainian businesses across the Middle East.
More on MHP SE
Production of 704 million chickens makes MHP the largest poultry meat company in Europe, according to the WATTPoultry.com’s Top Poultry Companies survey for 2023.
For the last financial year published recently, MHP reported higher revenue than for the comparable period, which positively impacted profitability.
A publicly listed company on the London Stock Exchange, MHP is an international agri-food company, according to the firm’s web site. It has agriculture, food production, retail, and manufacturing operations in Ukraine and south-eastern Europe, where its subsidiary is Perutnina Ptuj. It also has operations in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and other European Union member states, as well as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
MHP SE has a worldwide workforce of more than 36,000, and manages 360,000 hectares (890,000 acres) of cropland in 12 Ukrainian provinces. MHP has launched 15 food brands, and it has developed several retail chains and fast-food restaurants in partnership with other companies.
The Ukraine-based firm has recently increased its interests to more than 91% share of Grupo Uvesa, a leading Spanish poultry company.
link