The Saudi Agricultural & Livestock Investment Co. (SALIC) announced the purchase of Ukraine’s Mriya, one of Ukraine’s biggest farming companies. According to Bloomberg, the acquisition would take the SALIC-operated farming area in Ukraine to just over 200,000 hectares (494,000 acres). “The decision by SALIC to acquire Mriya Agro Holding is really an extremely important event and demonstrates the willingness of foreign investors to invest in Ukraine, fundamental changes in the investment climate and the attitude of investors to our country,” President Petro Poroshenko of Ukraine said. The acquisition efforts come about five months after SALIC appointed Matthew Jansen as its CEO, highlighting the company’s growth ambitions. Jansen was previously CEO of Cofco International Ltd., the trading arm of China’s largest food company, and is well-known for his appetite for deals. Ukraine is Europe’s largest corn producer and Saudi Arabia is the world’s top barley buyer. The fertile soils of the Black Sea region and the area’s easy access to top grain and oil-seed importers in the Middle East have drawn SALIC’s interest. SALIC already manages about 45,000 hectares adjacent to the farms run by Mriya, and the acquisition would create one of Ukraine’s largest farming operations. SALIC seeks to get investment opportunities in countries that welcome foreign investments. The company works on implementing its ambitious strategy to enter partnerships with the governments, companies and specialized communities. SALIC is keen to invest in agricultural and livestock production projects in addition to following-up the implementation of these agreements with the global and local agricultural firms.