Rodnie Polya

Rodnie Polya (Russian: «Родные поля», meaning "Native Fields") is a major Russian grain trading and export company, formerly known as Trading House "Rif" until April 2024. It is one of the largest grain exporters in Russia, engaged in wholesale trade of wheat, barley, corn, peas, rye, flax, rapeseed, and soybeans. The company operates a vertically integrated model that combines grain procurement directly from producers, laboratory quality control, road and rail logistics, its own port terminal in Azov, and a fleet of 11 sea vessels and 1,640 grain hopper cars. It serves over 3,500 suppliers and partners across Russia and exports to international markets including China, Indonesia, and Malaysia. The company traces its origins to the early 2000s when founder Pyotr Khodykin and partners built the "Promexpeditsiya" port elevator in Azov. Trading House "Rif" was formally established in 2010, consolidating several trading companies. It grew rapidly, becoming a top-10 Russian grain exporter in the 2013/14 season with 1.79 million tonnes, and sharing first place in 2014/15 with approximately 2.5 million tonnes. By 2023, it ranked second among Russian grain exporters. In 2021, Forbes Russia ranked it 88th among the largest private companies in Russia. In April 2024, the company was renamed Rodnie Polya. However, in 2024 it faced regulatory pressure from Rosselkhoznadzor over phytosanitary certificates, resulting in detained vessels and reported losses exceeding $30 million. In December 2024, the Russian Prosecutor General's Office filed a lawsuit demanding the seizure of 100% of the company's shares, alleging violations of foreign investment laws due to founder Pyotr Khodykin's citizenship of Saint Kitts and Nevis and UAE residency. The court ruled in favor of the prosecution on January 31, 2025, and the company came under Rosselkhozbank management in May 2025. In July 2026, Rosimushchestvo sold Rodnie Polya at auction to Tiara Holding for 11.7 billion rubles. As of early 2025, the company's assets included a cargo terminal at the Azov port, 11 sea vessels, 1,640 grain hopper cars, and over 200 related infrastructure facilities. For 2023, gross profit was 101 billion rubles, revenue was 299 billion rubles, and total assets were valued at 58 billion rubles as of December 31, 2023.

The company's history begins in the early 2000s when Pyotr Khodykin and partners built the "Promexpeditsiya" port elevator in Azov for Trans Oil, with a capacity of 30,000 tonnes of simultaneous grain storage. The deal with Trans Oil fell through, and the elevator could not be sold. Around the same time, several trading companies were created to buy and export grain. In 2010, these structures were consolidated into Trading House "Rif". Some market participants believed that "Rif" had significant administrative resources, as many organizations associated with Khodykin had previously belonged to his wife, Oksana Vertiy, whose father headed the Rostov police in the 1990s and later was a deputy in the local city council. In the 2013/14 agricultural season, "Rif" sharply increased export shipments to 1.79 million tonnes, entering the top ten largest exporters in Russia. In the 2014/15 season, "Rif" and the "International Grain Company" each supplied approximately 2.5 million tonnes, sharing first place. As the magazine "Expert South" wrote, the company focused on shipping grain by "small water", using both its reconstructed terminal at the Azov port with increased capacity of 105,000 tonnes and terminals of other companies, including in Novorossiysk. Small vessels from Azov went to the port of Kerch and Port Kavkaz, where cargo was transshipped to large vessels. Until 2024, "Rif" maintained its position, ranking second among grain exporters at the end of 2023. In 2021, it was ranked 88th in the ranking of the largest private companies in Russia by Forbes Russia. In early 2022, the company was re-registered from an offshore company in the UAE to a Russian owner. Founder Pyotr Khodykin in 2023 took third place in the Forbes Russia ranking by personal income, paying about 3 billion rubles in personal income tax. In 2023, "Rif" spoke about expanding its supply geography to China, Indonesia, and Malaysia; in February 2024, it announced plans to expand into agricultural production, including the construction of a processing plant. In April 2024, it was renamed Rodnie Polya. In spring 2024, Rosselkhoznadzor began delaying or refusing to issue phytosanitary certificates to "Rif". As a result, already loaded vessels remained in ports. Territorial departments of Rosselkhoznadzor in 2023–2024 sent numerous notifications to the company and its counterparties, but according to the agency, violations were not remedied. The company denied violations, reported losses of over $30 million, and linked the situation to pressure from competitors. In December 2024, the Russian Prosecutor General's Office filed a lawsuit with the Arbitration Court of Rostov Oblast demanding the recovery of 100% of Rodnie Polya's shares to the Russian Federation. According to the supervisory agency, the law "On the Procedure for Making Foreign Investments" was violated: Pyotr Khodykin, a citizen of Saint Kitts and Nevis and a resident of the UAE, controls a strategic enterprise. The prosecutor's office considered that the company had more than 20% of the grain transshipment market at the Azov port and therefore occupied a dominant position. And from 2008 to 2023, investors "Promexpeditsiya" and "Rodnie Polya" did not file applications with the antimonopoly service and did not receive approvals for transactions from a special government commission. On January 31, 2025, the claim was satisfied; the case was held in closed session. The decision was subject to immediate execution, and the company's assets had been seized in December 2024. Owner Pyotr Khodykin said he would appeal the court decision and believed that the prosecutor's office had no evidence of the company's strategic importance, violation of state interests, or foreign capital control. Lawyer Yulia Zaginaiko of "Kachkin and Partners" expressed the opinion that the satisfaction of the claim "could lead to a serious revision of the rules of the game for companies with foreign participation. This will also affect companies whose beneficiaries are persons with dual citizenship or foreign residence permits, in strategic industries, expanding the practice of nationalization of assets." In May 2025, the company came under the management of Rosselkhozbank. According to media reports at the beginning of 2025, Rodnie Polya's assets included a cargo terminal at the Azov port, its own fleet of 11 sea vessels, 1,640 grain hopper cars, and over 200 related infrastructure facilities. For 2023, gross profit was 101 billion rubles, revenue was 299 billion rubles, and total assets as of December 31, 2023, were valued at 58 billion rubles. In July 2026, Rosimushchestvo sold Rodnie Polya at auction. The buyer was "Tiara Holding", and the transaction amount was 11.7 billion rubles.

• 2026

  In July 2026, Rosimushchestvo sold Rodnie Polya to Tiara Holding for 11.7 billion rubles.

• 2025

  On January 31, 2025, the court satisfied the claim; assets seized and decision subject to immediate execution.

• 2025

  In May 2025, the company came under the management of Rosselkhozbank.

• 2024

  In April 2024, Trading House "Rif" renamed to Rodnie Polya.

• 2024

  Rosselkhoznadzor began delaying or refusing phytosanitary certificates; company reported over $30 million in losses.

• 2024

  In December 2024, the Prosecutor General's Office filed a lawsuit demanding the seizure of 100% of shares.

• 2022

  Company re-registered from a UAE offshore to a Russian owner.

• 2021

  Ranked 88th in Forbes Russia's ranking of the largest private companies in Russia.

• 2014

  In the 2014/15 season, "Rif" shared first place among Russian grain exporters with approximately 2.5 million tonnes.

• 2013

  In the 2013/14 season, "Rif" increased exports to 1.79 million tonnes, entering the top 10 Russian grain exporters.

• 2010

  Trading House "Rif" established, consolidating several grain trading companies.

Full-cycle agro-export infrastructure company integrating procurement, logistics, port terminal, and export operations; emphasizes fast payment, own logistics, and stable year-round procurement.

• Wheat

• Barley

• Corn

• Peas

• Rye

• Flax

• Rapeseed

• Soybeans

• Phytosanitary certificate delays and alleged violations

• Nationalization lawsuit and seizure

Read more

1. 1Родные Поля — закупаем зерно напрямую от производителейrp61.ru
2. 2О компании — Родные Поляrp61.ru
3. 3Rodnie Polya - Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4Родные поля (компания) — Википедияru.wikipedia.org