The repeated online auction for the privatization of 99.99% of the shares of one of Ukraine’s leading chemical enterprises, ‘Sumykhimprom’, which was scheduled for January 13, 2026, did not occur due to a lack of interested investors. The starting price for the lot was reduced by 9.3% and amounted to 1 billion 88.081 million UAH (excluding VAT).
This is reported by Finway
Main Conditions of Privatization and Requirements for Investors
According to the tender documentation, the new owner must not only maintain the main areas of the enterprise’s activities but also invest at least 150 million UAH in technical re-equipment and modernization of production. Additionally, the auction winner is obliged to fully settle wage arrears, tax debts, and overdue creditor debts within six months, except for obligations to individuals subject to sanctions, as well as creditors whose beneficiaries are citizens or residents of the Russian Federation or Belarus.
Besides financial obligations, the buyer must guarantee compliance with social standards for employees in accordance with current labor legislation in Ukraine and must not allow staff layoffs for six months after the change of ownership.
“Participants are absent,” the protocol stated on the Prozorro website on Monday evening after the application submission deadline.
History of the Enterprise and Previous Sale Attempts
The previous auction for the privatization of ‘Sumykhimprom’, which took place on June 11, 2025, also ended unsuccessfully due to a lack of applications from potential investors.
‘Sumykhimprom’ holds leading positions among Ukrainian producers of complex mineral fertilizers, titanium dioxide, sulfuric acid, and other inorganic chemical products. The enterprise is among the top three budget-forming companies in the city of Sumy and Sumy region, producing over 30 brands of NPK fertilizers with various nutrient ratios for different soil types and climatic conditions.
For more than ten years, the plant has been under the management of a group of companies affiliated with Group DF, owned by businessman Dmytro Firtash. In November 2023, the Economic Court of the Sumy region granted the request of the State Property Fund of Ukraine and the Ministry of Justice, closing the proceedings in the bankruptcy and rehabilitation case of ‘Sumykhimprom’.