From France with love!

From France with love!

9 November 2020 News from the Company

EkoNiva-Tekhnika Holding has recently become an authorized dealer of Gregoire Besson, one of the oldest manufacturers of tillage equipment in the world. The company has been producing high-quality farm machinery for more than 200 years.

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The founders of the Gregoire Besson company were contemporaries of Alexandre Dumas, a celebrated French author and one of the world’s greatest writers. In 1802, Joseph Gregoire set up a blacksmith’s shop at Montigne-sur-Moine and started producing ploughs, paving the way for the future of one of the world's leading farm machinery companies.The recent history of the company started in 1956, when Victor Gregoire and his son-in-law Alphonse Besson founded the Gregoire-Besson partnership. Later, the partners developed a line-up of tillage equipment and applied for the first patents. Nowadays, the company is managed by their descendant, Patrick Besson.

The Gregoire Besson Group comprises four modern manufacturing plants in France and Italy and more than 60 dealerships. Farmers all over the world trust their fields to the reliable brand. In Russia, the company is represented by its subsidiary, Besson-Vostok in Belgorod.

'We have been supplying our customers with the Gregoire Besson machinery since 2019', says Sergey Skrobkin, EkoNiva-Tekhnika Central Region Sales Department Manager. ‘We offer mounted ploughs, semi-mounted ploughs, one-pass finishers, disc harrows, deep stubble cultivators, shallow stubble cultivators and subsoilers of the French brand. The Gregoire Besson tillage equipment has been marketed in Russia for about 30 years and has proved to be reliable, productive and easy-to-handle.’

One of the most popular products is the Rover reversible mounted plough. The Rover meets the needs of both small and large enterprises and can be coupled to 90 HP to 250 HP tractors.

'Another bestseller is the Gregoire Besson Voyager semi-mounted plough', says Galina Kochergina, Head of Gregoire Besson-Vostok. 'These ploughs are developed for 150 HP to 600 HP tractors. The number of working bodies ranges from five to thirteen. The machine ensures perfect ground contour following and even ploughing. The choice of an in-furrow or an on-land model is based on the farmers’ working conditions, they can also choose between the shear bolt or nonstop hydraulic safety systems.’

'The affordable price of the Gregoire Besson machinery was a pleasant surprise to us', says Eduard Danilkin, Head of Novaya Zhizn farm, Tula oblast. 'We have already acquired two Voyager С80 ploughs for our enterprise. They cultivate about 3,500 ha of land during the season, proving to be reliable and easy to use. We are happy with these tools and planning to purchase another Gregoire Besson plough in the future. I am sure EkoNiva-Tekhnika will help us to make the right choice.’

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The Explor disc harrow is also on demand in the Russian market. There are two models available: T70 and T90. The Explor is designed for deep tillage of heavy soils and clearing rhizome crops. Harrow discs with the diameter of 1,020 mm ensure good penetration into stony and rough terrain, making the implement unique as compared to its rivals.

'On our farm, tillage is performed solely by the Gregoire Besson machinery', says Anatoliy Shcherbakov, Chief Engineer of Kaluzhskaya Niva-South Operation. 'Last year, we bought a semi-mounted Voyager S70 plough and an Explor T90 disc harrow. The machines are maintenance-friendly, easy to service, and most importantly, allow us to achieve our goals in a timely and effective manner.'

The Gregoire Besson Helios sub-soilers are available at every dealership of EkoNiva-Tekhnika Holding. The Helios works at the depth of up to 60 cm, removes soil compaction and allows proper circulation of air and water. The tool is able to eliminate the consequences of poor soil preparation at the depth of 25-35 cm. Fields where tubers are grown can feature areas of different degree of compaction, which is especially noticeable after harvesting. The Helios sub-soiler easily recovers these areas. About 150 units of the Gregoire Besson machinery are sold in Russia every year. Next year, the sales are expected to be even higher thanks to the cooperation with EkoNiva-Tekhnika Holding, which has recently enlarged its responsibility by adding new territories in Arkhangelsk, Vologda, Leningrad, Novgorod, Omsk, Pskov oblasts, Altai area and the Republic of Karelia. The Gregoire Besson machinery available for purchase at the new dealerships is ready to work in the Russian fields and confirm its excellent global reputation.

'We are glad to resume our cooperation with EkoNiva – our friends and partners since the year 2000', says Nicolas Petit, Gregoire Besson Area Director, CIS countries. ‘For over 25 years, EkoNiva has been one of the leading dealers of international agricultural machinery in Russia. This proves that the company has a highly professional team and follows the right development strategy. EkoNiva is our reliable partner and we hope for a long-term collaboration.’

By Viktor BARGOTIN