Agrofert
A Czech private conglomerate spanning agriculture, food, chemicals, forestry, logistics, construction and energy.
Last updated August 21, 2026
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Overview
Agrofert is a Czech private holding company headquartered in Prague and organized around a broad agricultural and industrial value chain. Founded in 1993 by the Czech state-owned trading company Petrimex, where Andrej Babiš worked as a salesperson, the business initially developed through fertilizer and agricultural-input trading. It subsequently expanded into primary agriculture, livestock, food processing, chemicals, forestry, construction, logistics and energy. The group’s structure is based on a large portfolio of subsidiaries, most of which are directly owned by AGROFERT, a.s., alongside companies in which the holding has significant influence. Agriculture remains central to the group’s identity and operating model. Its agricultural companies cultivate land and conduct livestock-related activities, while other subsidiaries process agricultural commodities into food products and industrial materials. Chemical operations provide fertilizers and other products used in agriculture and industry. Forestry and timber businesses extend the group into natural-resource management, while logistics and construction support both internal operations and external customers. This combination gives Agrofert a vertically connected presence from agricultural inputs and primary production through processing, distribution and selected industrial services. The group operates principally in Central Europe, especially the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany and Hungary, and has also conducted business in additional countries across Europe and in China. Public reference material describes a portfolio of more than 250 subsidiaries and operations in multiple continents. The scale of the group has made it one of the larger companies in the Czech Republic. Historical disclosures stated that its consolidated turnover reached CZK 132.5 billion in 2012, while 2017 employment was reported at approximately 33,000 people, including around 22,000 in the Czech Republic. These figures are historical and should not be treated as current performance indicators. Agrofert is also closely associated with the political career of Andrej Babiš. Babiš directed the conglomerate until January 2014 and owned it until 2017. Following the adoption of Czech conflict-of-interest legislation, the business was transferred to two private trust arrangements associated with his family and advisers. The effectiveness of that separation, including questions concerning control, economic benefit and eligibility for public funding, became the subject of prolonged Czech and European scrutiny. The ownership arrangements later changed again: reference material states that Babiš became sole owner in October 2025 and transferred ownership to the private RSVP Trust fund in February 2026. The group therefore combines a substantial commercial footprint with continuing importance in debates about political conflicts of interest, corporate governance and public subsidies.
History
Agrofert was established in the Czech Republic on 25 January 1993 by Petrimex, a state-owned enterprise involved in international trade. Andrej Babiš worked for Petrimex as a salesperson and became the central figure in Agrofert’s subsequent development. The company initially concentrated on fertilizers and agricultural-input trading, but its growth strategy later moved beyond distribution into ownership and control of businesses across the agricultural value chain. The group expanded into agricultural production, livestock, food manufacturing, chemicals, forestry, construction, logistics and energy. This diversification created an integrated industrial model in which farming and livestock operations supplied primary commodities, food subsidiaries processed agricultural materials, chemical businesses produced fertilizers and other industrial chemicals, and forestry companies managed timber and related resources. Logistics and construction activities provided additional infrastructure and service capabilities. Agrofert’s current corporate form dates from 1 July 2000. During the 2000s and 2010s, the group became one of the largest Czech business organizations, with a portfolio of more than 250 subsidiaries and operations concentrated in Central Europe. Its companies operated principally in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany and Hungary, while the wider group also conducted business in other European countries and in China. Historical data cited in reference material reported consolidated turnover of CZK 132.5 billion in 2012. The same material stated that the group managed approximately 386.1 square miles of land in the Czech Republic, much of it rented, and employed about 33,000 people in 2017. Agrofert also diversified into media. In November 2013 it acquired Londa, which owned Rádio Impuls, Rádio Rock Zone 105.9 and Český Impuls. In 2014, reports indicated that the holding was considering purchases of the Prima or Nova television networks, but the available reference does not confirm that either proposed acquisition was completed. In September 2023, Agrofert sold Mafra, another Czech media asset, to Karel Pražák’s Kaprain Group. Babiš directed Agrofert until January 2014 and remained its owner until 2017, when he transferred the business into two trust funds, AB private trust I and AB private trust II, in response to Czech conflict-of-interest legislation. The arrangements became the focus of extensive political, legal and European institutional debate. Critics questioned whether Babiš retained effective control or economic benefit and whether the group should qualify for public subsidies or European Union funding while he held senior public office. The controversy made Agrofert an important case in discussions about beneficial ownership, public procurement, subsidy eligibility and the separation of political authority from private enterprise. According to the supplied reference material, Babiš again became Agrofert’s sole owner on 15 October 2025 and transferred the company to the private RSVP Trust fund on 20 February 2026. These later ownership developments should be read as time-specific reference claims because the group’s corporate structure may continue to change. Agrofert remains an active private conglomerate whose identity is rooted in agriculture but whose operations extend across food, chemicals, forestry, logistics, construction and energy.
- 2026
Transfer to RSVP Trust
[1]The supplied reference states that ownership was transferred to the private RSVP Trust fund on 20 February 2026.
- 2025
Babiš reportedly becomes sole owner again
[1]The supplied reference states that Babiš became Agrofert’s sole owner on 15 October 2025.
- 2023
Mafra sold to Kaprain Group
[1]Agrofert sells the Mafra media group to Czech investor Karel Pražák’s Kaprain Group.
- 2022
Agreement to acquire Borealis fertilizer division
[1]Agrofert is announced as the buyer of Borealis’s fertilizer division in a transaction valued at €810 million.
- 2017
Business assets placed in trust arrangements
[1]Babiš transfers ownership of Agrofert to two private trust funds in response to Czech conflict-of-interest legislation.
- 2014
Babiš ends his executive direction of Agrofert
[1]Andrej Babiš stops directing the conglomerate in January 2014 as he becomes increasingly active in Czech politics.
- 2013
Expansion into radio media
[1]Agrofert acquires Londa, owner of several Czech radio stations including Rádio Impuls.
- 2012
Historical turnover reaches CZK 132.5 billion
[1]Historical reference material reports consolidated turnover of CZK 132.5 billion for 2012.
- 2000
Current corporate form established
[1]Agrofert takes its current corporate form on 1 July 2000.
- 1993
Agrofert is founded by Petrimex
[1]Petrimex establishes Agrofert on 25 January 1993. The early business focuses on fertilizer and agricultural-input trading, with Andrej Babiš involved as a Petrimex salesperson.
Products and positioning
A vertically integrated Central European agricultural and industrial conglomerate linking farming, livestock, food processing, chemicals, forestry and related infrastructure services.
Agricultural inputs
Fertilizers and agricultural inputs
Fertilizers and agricultural inputs form the historical foundation of Agrofert’s business. The group’s chemical and trading activities connect fertilizer production and distribution with its farming and livestock operations. The portfolio serves agricultural producers in Central Europe and provides an important link between the group’s industrial businesses and its primary-production activities. Specific product brands and formulations vary by subsidiary and market.
Farming and animal husbandry
Agriculture and livestock
Agrofert’s agricultural companies cultivate land and conduct livestock-related production in the Czech Republic and other European markets. Historical reference material reported management of approximately 386.1 square miles of Czech land, most of it rented. These operations supply crops, animal products and other primary commodities to the group’s food-processing and industrial businesses, although a complete current product and subsidiary list is not established by the supplied sources.
Food processing
Food products
The food segment processes agricultural commodities into manufactured food products. Its role in the group is closely connected to farming and livestock production, allowing Agrofert to participate beyond primary agriculture in processing and distribution. The supplied sources confirm the existence and importance of the segment but do not provide a sufficiently complete, current catalogue of consumer brands or individual product lines.
Industrial and agricultural chemicals
Chemical products
Agrofert operates chemical businesses serving agriculture and broader industrial markets. Fertilizers are the most direct connection to its agricultural base, while the wider chemical portfolio includes products manufactured for industrial applications. The exact mix is distributed among subsidiaries and has changed through acquisitions and divestments, so this entry does not assign unsupported brand-level products to the group.
Forestry
Forestry and timber products
Forestry activities extend Agrofert into forest management, timber and related natural-resource products. The segment complements the group’s agricultural and industrial operations by providing exposure to primary resources and wood processing. Public reference material identifies forestry as a core operating area but does not establish a complete list of current forestry subsidiaries or branded offerings.
Industrial and business services
Logistics, construction and energy services
Logistics, construction and energy broaden the group beyond production and processing. These activities can support the movement of agricultural and industrial materials, provide construction capabilities and participate in energy-related operations. They are best understood as complementary businesses within the wider holding rather than as a single consumer-facing product range.
Controversies
2017
Conflict-of-interest and trust-ownership controversy
Agrofert became the subject of sustained Czech and European scrutiny after Andrej Babiš transferred ownership to two private trust funds while holding senior political office. The controversy concerned whether the arrangements removed his effective control or economic interest and whether companies connected to the group remained eligible for public subsidies and European Union funding. The dispute involved political, legal, administrative and public-governance questions and continued after the initial transfer.
Brand decisions
2023
Sale of MafraM&ABackground
Agrofert had owned the Czech media group Mafra as part of its broader diversification.
Action taken
The group sold Mafra to investor Karel Pražák’s Kaprain Group.
Aftermath
The sale reduced Agrofert’s media holdings and returned the asset to a separate Czech investment group.
2022
Agreement to acquire Borealis fertilizer divisionM&ABackground
The fertilizer business was strategically adjacent to Agrofert’s historical agricultural-input and chemical activities.
Action taken
Agrofert was announced as the buyer of Borealis’s fertilizer division for €810 million.
Aftermath
The announced transaction would expand Agrofert’s fertilizer activities, but the supplied material does not document its complete post-closing effects.
Announced transaction value. €810 million (2022 announcement)
2017
Transfer of ownership into private trustsStrategyBackground
Czech conflict-of-interest legislation created pressure for Babiš to separate his political role from his business ownership.
Action taken
Babiš transferred Agrofert into AB private trust I and AB private trust II, with the arrangements associated with family members and lawyers.
Aftermath
The transfer did not end scrutiny. Questions about effective control, economic benefit and public-funding eligibility remained central to the controversy.
2013
Acquisition of LondaM&ABackground
Agrofert had been expanding beyond agriculture and industrial production into media-related assets.
Action taken
The group acquired Londa, which owned Rádio Impuls, Rádio Rock Zone 105.9 and Český Impuls.
Aftermath
The transaction gave Agrofert a presence in Czech radio broadcasting. The supplied sources do not provide later financial or audience outcomes.
Sources2 sources
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