Russia’s largest sugar producer Prodimex is officially the largest land owner in the country with 480,000 hectares (1.18 million acres), which is 20% of all private land. The figures come from auditor BEFL's annual landowner report.
Prodimex has 16 sugar factories in 3 different provinces, and
produces over 1.1 million tons of sugar a year.
The company's general director, Viktor Aleksakhin told
Vedomosti that production requires such a large land holding
due to the nature of sugar beet cultivation - which must be
replanted on a different field each year.
Russia accounts for a sixth of the world’s landmass and has several
private land owners, with the top five having ties to agricultural
production. At the beginning of 2012, agricultural land in
Russia was 196 million hectares, 115 are fertile and in use. In
April 2013, the Russian Ministry of Agriculture said the industry
was ‘unprofitable’, and only made possible by state subsidies.
RusAgro, which specializes in pig breeding, and production of sugar
and cooking oil in the Moscow region, owns 452,000 hectares.
Vamin, a dairy specialist in Tartarstan that has recently declared
bankruptcy, owns 450,000 hectares.
Siberian agricultural major Sakho has 400,000 hectares and is owned
by State Duma Deputy Airat Khairullina.
Tatar agro-company Krasny Vostok Agro has 350,000 hectares.
Before Prodimex was founded in 1992, nearly all sugar was imported
from Ukraine.
America’s cattle kingdom
Kings of agriculture dominate landholding in Russia, but in the
US, it’s a millionaire ranch and cattle club.
John Malone, Liberty Media Chairman, owns almost twice as much land
as Russia’s largest sugar producer, about 890,000 hectares (2.2
million acres) which combined are the equivalent of 150
Manhattans.
Malone owns ranches in Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado, and New Mexico.
The most famous is ‘The Bell Ranch’, a 290,100 acre cattle ranch
which he bought in 2010 for a listed, but not confirmed price, of
$83 million.
Malone’s equities are widespread. Liberty Global agreed to buy
Britain's Virgin Media cable company for $16 billion in February
2013. Malone also has diversified interests in US sports teams (the
Atlanta Braves) and media (Starz channel).
Land has made a comeback – from cattle, private ski resorts,
hunting and fishing clubs, to Maine coastline – for American
entrepreneurs who prefer to take a stake in natural real estate to
diversify and hedge their assets against the risky gold, oil, and
stock prices.
With an improving US housing market, land holdings are likely to
appreciate, especially those acquired during the recession.
Media mogul Ted Turner, the owner of CNN has over 2 million
acres of land spread through New Mexico, Colorado, Montana, South
Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, and Florida. The grand Vermejo Park ranch
in New Mexico and Colorado is 590,823 acres and his hunting
sanctuary in Florida, where he has residence is 30,000
acres.