CHERKASY, UKRAINE — A second NIBULON grain elevator in Ukraine has reached the 1-million-tonne mark of grain received, the company said on March 19.

The Zolotonis’ka branch elevator in Cherkasy region is one of the first facilities constructed by NIBULON (the first stage was put into operation in September 2007). Since its first days of operation, NIBULON’s elevator has achieved high production results.

In 2008-09, the facility received 218,256 tonnes of grain. Despite competitors, the elevator continued to maintain its high production level, NIBULON said.

The elevator has received, stored and shipped about 690,000 tonnes of corn, more than 132,000 tonnes of wheat, almost 90,000 tonnes of rapeseed and 63,000 tonnes of barley during the entire period of operation. The elevator stores eight types of grain and oil crops.

The elevator is experienced in cooperating with agricultural producers, NIBULON said. The elevator meets the international standards to measure product quality, and its laboratory team leader, Olga Polyakova, has been working at the elevator since it was established, the company said.

“The elevator is developing itself in terms of technical and technological aspects,” said Sergiy Nudga, director. “We must meet modern requirements; thus, we have modernized capacities for the last two years. We have replaced conveyors and bucket elevators with more productive ones, created new technological lines, installed the third additional Mathews 3180M dryer, replaced a separator with more productive and improved one. A new RKSHP 6 grain loader enabled the elevator to speed up the loading of transport and the cleaning of storages. In addition, the laboratory, an elevator’s heart, is constantly modernized; up-to-date equipment is installed. These improvements increase the facility capacities and enable the elevator to receive more qualitative products.”