Genagricola, the first Italian agricultural company by extension of cultivated land, returns to invest in Romania acquiring, in the North-East of the country, two natural forests – “De Fay” and “Deleni” – which have a total of 1.770 hectares of land.
Oaks, lindens, beeches, ash trees, cherry trees, maples, hornbeams and many other species characterize the acquired area, a sort of nature reserve which has hundreds of thousands of large plants present for decades and, in several cases, centuries. It is a natural forest not designed by man, but developed autonomously over time, thus guaranteeing the highest degree of biodiversity.
With this investment, the agri-food holding of Generali Italia strengthens its presence in the country, where already in 2002 he had purchased two vast estates in the North-West for a total of 5.000 hectares of cultivated land.
Forests, which have been in constant decline since the 2030th century, are one of the indispensable ecosystems for combating climate change, are sustainable, potentially infinite resources and constitute one of the long-term investments less subject to market fluctuations. Through rigorous and controlled maintenance, it will be possible to exploit this natural resource, respecting the strict legislation of Romania regarding tree cutting. A system compatible with the demand for timber that grows vertically all over the world; estimates say that in 2,5 it will exceed the threshold of 30 billion cubic meters a year, with Europe and the United States in pole position: we are talking about almost XNUMX% more than today. Hence Genagricola's attention to this form of investment, comparable to other asset classes.
“This operation is in line with our core business. It is, in fact, a long-term investment, subject to minimal fluctuations over time, with good annual returns, sustainable and renewable – commented Giancarlo Fancel, President of Genagricola and Chief Financial Officer of Generali Italia – This acquisition follows one of the key values that guide us in the management of Genagricola: sustainability. On the one hand we have the opportunity to protect a unique and fascinating heritage, completely natural and rich in biodiversity, on the other to make a long-term investment with a strong positive environmental impact”.
“We took advantage of this investment opportunity primarily because it allows us to return to investing in a sector such as forestry, where Genagricola was already present in Italy, albeit with more modest plots of land – he explains Alessandro Marchionne, CEO of Genagricola – and secondly because, with the experience gained in the Romanian territory by the other companies of the Group, we have ascertained how these investments are successful in a long-term perspective”.
For the management of these new realities, Genagricola set up the company Genagricola Forests, in charge of managing and administering the activities related to the new Romanian forests.
