Scientific centres and Bugulminsky Elevator: what Tatarstan planning to privatise in 2021

What Tatarstan is going to sell

The forecast plan for the privatisation of state property of Tatarstan for 2021, published on 28 December, includes both the blocks of shares that the authorities of the republic want to give to private hands for several years, and new lots.

For example, the ministry of industry and trade of Tatarstan is going to privatise Nizhnekamskresursy JSC. The state's share in the company is 11,99%. On December 30, 2013, almost seven years ago, Tatneft acquired 51,16% of the company and owns the share to this day. The remaining shareholders are unknown. The head of the JSC is Valery Gimatdinov. According to the SPARK-Interfax system, the company is mainly engaged in warehousing and storage activities. Net profit for the previous year amounted to 1,8 million rubles with revenue of about 57 million rubles.

According to the plan, the ministry of agriculture of the Republic of Tatarstan is to privatise the share in Yelabuga Grain Receiving Enterprise JSC (Tatarstan owns 7,69%) and Bugulminsky Elevator CJSC (25% +1 share). The current structure of the enterprise from Yelabuga is unknown, but in 2017, 71,81% belonged to Yelabuga Food Factory CJSC — the media associates the company with the former head of Yelabuga and rector of the KFU, Ilshat Gafurov. The director of the Yelabuga Grain Receiving Enterprise is Khalil Sabirzyanov. In 2019, the company's profit amounted to 7,5 million rubles with revenue of 46,4 million.

Bugulminsky Elevator is engaged in storage and warehousing of grain. The company is quite profitable: net profit for the last year amounted to more than 30 million rubles, revenue — 193,8 million rubles. The director is Pavel Kolyada, who also holds a similar position in Bugulma Bread Products Plant No. 2 CJSC. According to Rosstat, in addition to Tatarstan, Bugulminsky Elevator is owned by LLC Management of Agricultural Assets PLC, Moscow Oblast (75%).

Three more companies should be privatised by the ministry of economy of Tatarstan. The first, Regional Engineering Centre for Industrial Laser Technologies KAI-Laser JSC (71,73%), has metal processing and coating of metals as its main activity. The director is Ruslan Yanbayev, who also manages New Ceramic Materials PLC. By the decision of November 27, 2020, the Federal Tax Service suspended operations on the accounts of KAI-Laser due to non-payment of taxes. The company also owns (more than 28%) VG-FOTONIKA PLC from Moscow Oblast. Unlike the above-mentioned companies, KAI-Laser suffered a loss in 2019 — 104,5 million rubles. At the beginning of 2020, at a meeting of Tatneftekhiminvest Holding, Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov criticised KAI-Laser for that this structure “does not work”, just as it did three years ago.

The remaining Centre of Medical Science Regional Engineering Centre of Medical Simulators JSC (Tatarstan owns 50,93%) and the Centre for Prototyping and Implementation of Domestic Robotics JSC (94,74%) are associated with Eydos JSC — according to the data available in the SPARK-Interfax system, the owners of these companies included related Eydos-Medicine PLC and Eydos-Robotics. Both centres are engaged in research and development in the field of natural and technical sciences. The first finished the year 2019 with a loss of 19,1 million rubles, the second — with a profit of 369,000 rubles.

Something the republic hasn't been able to sell for years

Privatisation in Tatarstan has been carried out since 2004. From the presented list, only one company seems to be a newcomer — this is Centre for Prototyping and Implementation of Domestic Robotics JSC. The Centre of Medical Science Regional Engineering Centre of Medical Simulators JSC has already passed a round of privatization, then Eydos-Medicine joined the capital.

The “old-timers”, which can not be sold at least since 2016, are Bugulminsky Elevator”, Nizhnekamskresursy and Yelabuga Grain Receiving Enterprise — they are exactly the fifth year in a row in the list for privatisation. However, the companies did not find any buyers.

The privatisation plan for 2020 includes KNIAT, VNIIUS, Krutushka sanatorium (pictured) and Regional Centre for Engineering in the Field of Chemical Technologies. However, this year VNIIUS has passed into private hands, Tatneft PJSC owns its 100% share since September, as well as a share in KNIAT.

By Daria Pinegina
Tatarstan