Shareholders of Achema decided to allot the profit of 2007 for the payment of dividends and formation of the reserves.
Company's income in 2007 increased by 66 per cent, i.e. up to LTL 1 billion 443 million 996 thousand in comparison with the last year's income of LTL 871 million 91 thousand.
"Last year's income was basically influenced by new production capacities implemented in our company, by the numbers of the sold production, as well as by favourable juncture of market prices for fertilisers," said Mr Jonas Sirvydis, the CEO of AB Achema. "I have to note that prices for the main raw material natural gas which we buy from Russia have increased by 70 per cent and at the same time the prices for fertilisers in the markets of Europe and Baltic States have increased by 40 per cent."
Due to bigger consumption in developing countries and due to the growing production of biofuel in the US last year we exported by 60 per cent more production than in 2006.
In 2007 the largest amount of fertilisers (17.9 per cent) was sold in France, 16.5 per cent in the US, 11.9 per cent in Benelux countries, 9.9 per cent in Germany, 7.4 per cent in Scandinavian countries, and 4.7 per cent in Great Britain.
Achema has maintained steady positions in local market and in the markets of the neighbouring countries, it has sold over 20 per cent of the production, while the development of the promising market of the US last year increased more than three times, i.e. from 5 per cent in 2006 to 16.5 per cent in 2007," said Mr Sirvydis.
In 2007 up to 10 per cent of the company's turnover, i.e. approximately LTL 140 million was invested into the environmental protection, modernisation, equipment renovation and reconstruction.
During 2007 the second investment program was in progress; it will last until 2009. The total value of the program is LTL 0.5 billion, over 30 per cent of which is allotted to technologies reducing environmental pollution.
In 2007 Occupational Health and Safety Management system OHSAS was implemented in Achema by integrating it into the currently used quality and environmental management systems.
Last year AB Achema was awarded the silver medal "Metų gaminys 2007" (Product of the Year 2007) for the new product urea solution AdBlue designed for the reduction of pollution caused by heavy transport; the product is in compliance with the ecology requirements of standards "Euro4" and "Euro5".
