Im July 2023 Moscow decided to withdraw from the BSGI, forcing Kyiv to find other solutions. In the January 2024 The Ukrainian Minister of Agricultural Policy welcomed the gradual resumption of grain exports through a temporary corridor in the Black Sea, made possible “thanks to the support of the armed forces and the trust of international partners.” In this context, Niels Troost was introduced as an “investor of Harvest Commodities SA” and one of these partners. “We had complete confidence in these projects and were one of the first to immediately agree to work with our Ukrainian partners,” Troost was quoted as saying. It also became public at the time that Harvest Commodities SA wanted to build grain storage facilities in the Danube port of Ismail, just before the mouth of the Black Sea.
“Our investments in local infrastructure and logistics not only enable the creation of jobs and bring foreign currency to the region, but also ensure that Ukrainian grain continues to play an important role in the supply of third world countries, including Africa,” Troost wrote Enthusiasm. On the Ukrainian websitewhich reported on it, specified that since 2021, Harvest Commodities SA had “exported more than 350,000 tons of Ukrainian grain to Turkey, Egypt, China, Italy, Georgia and Croatia.” Niels Troost told Public Eye that there were over 709,000 tons of Ukrainian grain between May 2021 and January 2024.
Since then, nothing has been leaked about the Geneva-based company’s activities in Ukraine. When asked about the investments in the port of Ismail, a Ukrainian source explained that “Harvest Commodities was present in Ismail at that time, but nothing of the kind was implemented.” «There were many discussions and promises, but the project never came to fruition. “We were wondering what might have happened,” the person added. Troost states that his intention was to “involve the company in the project [Anm.: in Ismail] to support as an external donor”. Unfortunately, this was no longer possible after he was sanctioned in Great Britain in February 2024.
Die Rue de Villereuse
Niels Troost’s aggressively communicated support for Ukraine may come as a surprise. Until now, the Dutch trader had focused almost entirely on Russia and benefited from high-profile connections in the oil industry.
The dealer is still based in Switzerland. He owns a house in Conches (Geneva) and his villa in Thônex was sold in March 2023 for 4.4 million francs, according to the land register. Troost was apparently able to rely on the same Geneva network that he also used to trade Russian oil. Paramount Energy & Commodities SA and Harvest Commodities SA are both registered on the same Rue de Villereuse from where Maurice T. manages numerous companies. The former banker and specialist in advising companies operating in trade with the countries of the former USSR (primarily Russia) registered and managed both companies there – the first until June 2024, the second until March 2024. In July In 2022, he even personally held 4% of the capital of Harvest Commodities SA, as shown in the shareholder register mentioned above. From July 2018 to June 2024 he was also a member of the board of directors of Harvest Group SA in Morges and from April 2019 to September 2024 a member of the board of directors of Agrofood Holding SA – together with the former judoka Almaz Alsenov. When asked, Maurice T. did not want to comment on our questions.
