Ariston Holdings installs solar energy plant at Southdown Estate, achieving cost savings and promoting environmental sustainability

LISTED agriculture concern, Ariston Holdings Limited has installed a solar energy plant at Southdown Estate, achieving substantial cost savings through reduced reliance on generators and lower maintenance costs, while promoting the use of renewable energy and contributing to environmental sustainability.

By harnessing renewable energy from the sun, Ariston is not only reducing its carbon footprint but also contributing to a cleaner and more sustainable environment.

The development demonstrates the company’s commitment to environmentally friendly practices and its dedication to long-term sustainability in the agriculture sector.

Ariston Holdings Limited is a diversified agricultural entity engaged in producing and marketing various agricultural commodities.

It focuses on growing tea, macadamia nuts, avocados, bananas, and a range of horticultural crops.

In a trading update for the third quarter ended June 30, 2024, the firm said this year tea production volume at 2,880 tonnes was 28 percent ahead of the prior comparative period’s 2,245 tonnes.

This was a significant improvement as the Group exceeded the volume achieved in FY2022 of 2,850 tonnes.

“The Group continued to benefit from the positive impact made by installation of the solar energy plant at Southdown Estate in July 2023. This achieved cost saving through reduced reliance on generators and the associated maintenance cost, whilst contributing towards safeguarding environmental resources through use of a renewable energy source,” she said.

She added that buoyant macadamia nut sales and favourable pricing spurred Ariston’s overall earnings, as revenue improved by 0, 5 percent ahead of the same period in 2023.

“This indicates an improved demand in the macadamia segment following the global decline in volumes that occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Mrs Macheta said Ariston also acquired a macadamia scanning machine, which allows the scanning of nut-in-shell macadamia nuts to determine their quality before export.

“Improvement in macadamia segment performance comes as the Group purchased and installed a new X-ray machine,” said Mrs Macheta

This will enable the agro-concern to determine nut quality and defects, leading to effective pricing of the export macadamia nuts as they are graded better, which guarantees the quality being sold.

It allows for a definitive differentiation of macadamia nuts in the shell into its different kernel sizes thereby enhancing selling price determination.

“Revenue generated in the current year was 0, 5 percent ahead of the prior comparative period. This arose from improved macadamia volumes and selling prices when compared with the prior comparative period.”

Generally, Ariston bemoaned the high cost of operations which continued to be hampered by the increased cost of production emanating from the high cost of electricity, fertilisers and crop chemicals.

However, this was counterbalanced by the positive impact that stemmed from the installation of the solar energy plant at Southdown Estate in July 2023. The group’s product mix in the current period also consists of bananas, seed maize, seed soya beans, commercial maize and soya beans. Ariston says it expects a challenging operating environment following tight liquidity conditions being experienced.

As a result, the group’s focus will be placed on cost-cutting strategies, enhancing product quality and optimising production procedures.

-chroncle