The Czech Chamber of Food Industry has expressed concern over the European Union’s plans to significantly expand duty-free import quotas for Ukrainian agricultural products. A press release published on July 15 states that this threatens the Czech sugar industry. According to the Chamber, the quota for duty-free sugar imports from Ukraine to the EU could be increased from the current 20,070 tons to 100,000 tons — five times more. As a result, Czech producers fear a decline in self-sufficiency and a repeat of the situation with the closure of the plant in Hrušovany nad Evšovkou, which was linked to the influx of cheap imported sugar.
The Chamber’s president, Dana Večeržová, said: “If quotas continue to rise, we risk seeing the closure of new enterprises and ineffective investments not only in the sugar industry, but also in other strategic sectors.”
The decline in the Czech Republic’s self-sufficiency in sugar creates dependence on imports and devalues investments. Producers are calling on the government to abandon the quota increase and demand the introduction of restrictive mechanisms (automatic protective measures, price thresholds, and individual quotas) in negotiations with the European Commission.
Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Romania have expressed their support for the Czech position. They signed a joint declaration calling on the European Commission to introduce protective measures for the most vulnerable sectors of the EU — sugar, grain, and meat.
In 2024, the Czech Republic imported 27.9 million kg of sugar from Ukraine (out of a total of 81.1 million kg) worth CZK 461 million. This is several times higher than the 2021 level of 3.7 million kg.
A fivefold increase in quotas for Ukrainian imports to 100,000 tons could seriously weaken the Czech sugar industry, threatening jobs and infrastructure.
From November 1, 2025, Poland will stop accepting Ukrainian refugees in collective accommodation centers, with the exception of members of so-called protected groups: pensioners, pregnant women, and people with disabilities. This was reported by Polish Radio, citing a decision taken by the Polish Council of Ministers at a meeting on July 16.
According to Joanna Bachanek, press secretary of the Mazovia Province, every Ukrainian citizen has the right to free accommodation in shelters for 120 days after arriving in Poland.
After this period, a period of financial participation begins, i.e., additional payments for accommodation and food.
“More than half of the residents of collective accommodation centers already pay for part of their stay. After November 1, such centers will operate exclusively for the elderly, pregnant women, and people with disabilities,” Bahanek said.
According to the authorities, there are currently about 3,000 Ukrainians living in the Mazovia Province, while there are only about 1,000 places available.
For the remaining Ukrainian citizens, the Polish authorities are planning to launch the “Wspólnie do niezależności” (“Together for Independence”) program, which provides:
The program is expected to enable gradual adaptation and transition from a system of state support to a model of independent living.
The Plus program, which the UKRNAFTA filling station network implements jointly with the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine within the Army+ application, demonstrates stable efficiency and real support for the military.
Since the start of the project in December 2024, the military has refueled 13.3 million liters of fuel. The savings amounted to UAH 36.1 million. Another UAH 4.2 million was saved on cafe products and UAH 707.9 thousand on goods in the stores at the filling stations. In total, almost 100,000 military personnel have already taken advantage of the special discounts.
We remind you of the discounts for the military with Army+ at UKRNAFTA filling stations:
* -3 UAH/l for gasoline and diesel (up to 200 liters per month)
* UAH 0.5/l for liquefied gas (up to 200 liters per month)
* -30% for cafe products
* -10% for goods in stores (except for alcohol, tobacco and promotional goods, up to 2000 UAH/month).
UKRNAFTA consistently provides special service conditions for the defenders of Ukraine. The company thanks everyone who serves and continues to support the military every kilometer of their journey.
“Ukrnafta is the largest oil company in Ukraine and the operator of the national network of filling stations. In March 2024, the company took over management of Glusco’s assets and operates 545 filling stations – 461 owned and 84 managed.
The company is implementing a comprehensive program to restore operations and update the format of its filling stations. Since February 2023, the company has been issuing its own fuel coupons and NAFTAKarta cards, which are sold to legal entities and individuals through Ukrnafta-Postach LLC.
Ukrnafta’s largest shareholder is Naftogaz of Ukraine with a 50%+1 share.
In November 2022, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine decided to transfer to the state a share of corporate rights of the company owned by private owners, which is now managed by the Ministry of Defense.
KSG Agro has updated the herd at its pig farm in Dnipropetrovs’k region with 500 sows of Danish genetics, which will increase the efficiency of pig breeding by 15-20%, the group’s press service reports.
According to the report, the agricultural holding has already received the second batch of 250 purebred sows of Danish Pig Genetics from the supplier Breeders of Denmark A/S (Denmark). The first batch of the same volume was delivered to the company at the end of May this year.
Thus, the agricultural holding has completed the planned renewal of the pig herd with Danish genetics sows, which have high reproductive efficiency and are capable of producing high-quality piglets that will later become valuable fattening animals. This herd renewal will allow KSG Agro to replenish its pig population with four thousand of the most stable, highly productive F-1 hybrid sows this year.
“In the difficult conditions of the wartime period, realizing that the country’s food security depends on us, we focus on improving the efficiency of the pig production. We have always relied on the world’s best pig genetics, and the current partnership with the Danish Breeders of Denmark A/S is a logical continuation of this strategy. I am confident that this year we will see a 15-20% increase in production efficiency due to the renewal of the herd. These are quite realistic plans,” said Sergiy Kasyanov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of KSG Agro, as quoted in the statement.
KSG Agro noted that it had invested several hundred thousand euros in the renewal of its pig herd with 500 sows, but did not name a specific amount under the terms of the contract.
KSG Agro, a vertically integrated holding company, is engaged in pig production, as well as the production, storage, processing and sale of grains and oilseeds. Its land bank in Dnipropetrovska and Khersonska oblasts is about 21 thousand hectares.
According to KSG Agro, it is one of the top five pork producers in Ukraine. In 2023, the agricultural holding started implementing a “network-centric” strategy, which will move from developing a large location to a number of smaller pig farms located in different regions of Ukraine.
INGO Insurance Company has finally completed the process of compensation for losses after the high-profile fire that occurred in the winter of 2024 at the production facilities of Viktor & K (Korolivsky Smak brand) in Kirovograd region.
According to the insurance company, the total payout amounted to UAH 81.4 million. This is one of the largest insurance payments in the industrial insurance sector in recent times.
The company clarifies that during the fire that occurred on February 15, 2024, in the village of Vlasivka in Kirovograd region, the fire completely destroyed the oil press shop, the finished product warehouse and all the technological equipment inside. The buildings are beyond repair after the fire. According to law enforcement officials, the fire was caused by an arson attack by an unidentified person. The criminal case is still ongoing, and there are no results of the investigation yet.
According to the insurance company, the loss settlement process proved to be particularly difficult due to the extent of the damage and the need for an accurate and professional assessment.
The full amount of compensation was paid to the company on July 1. Of the UAH 81.4 million paid out, more than UAH 64 million was for buildings and almost UAH 17 million for equipment.
“This insurance event is one of the largest in the industry in recent years. According to insurance market experts, such precedents are important because they confirm the ability of insurance to support business in difficult conditions,” the information emphasizes.
Viktor & K is known for the Korolivsky Smak brand, which produces mayonnaise, ketchup, sauces and oils.
INGO Insurance Company JSC holds licenses for 18 classes of insurance and has been providing insurance services to both individuals and companies for over 30 years. INGO Insurance Company is among the largest insurance companies in Ukraine in terms of premiums, own assets and insurance claims. Its network includes 25 branches, five offices and nine customer service centers operating in all regions of the country.
Since 2017, the main shareholder is the Ukrainian business group DCH.
The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU) has granted permission to Vitaly Antonov’s Vi.An Holding Limited (Limassol, Cyprus) to acquire control over Kairos Holding LLC, the AMCU press service reported on Facebook.
“The decision to acquire is a logical continuation of our development strategy in the agricultural sector and expansion of the land bank. The interest in Ternopil and Rivne regions, where the land bank of the above-mentioned company is concentrated, is due to both favorable natural and climatic conditions and better yields compared to other regions of Ukraine,” the corporate communications department of OKKO Group commented on the AMCU’s decision.
The company also reminded that it is completing the construction of an elevator with a storage capacity of 60 thousand tons, and a bioethanol plant is under construction, which is expected to start production in the second half of 2026. The facilities are designed to produce 85 thousand tons of bioethanol per year, both for domestic needs and for sale to foreign markets.
In addition, OKKO called the partnership with Gadz-Agro (Ternopil region) an important component of its agricultural portfolio, with which the company is developing agricultural production.
Kairos Holding LLC was founded in 2024 in Lviv. The company specializes in growing cereals, legumes and oilseeds, organizing the construction of buildings, intermediary in the trade of a wide range of goods, wholesale of solid, liquid and gaseous fuels, etc.
According to the Opendatabot service, in 2024, the company received revenue of UAH 1.543 million, a net loss of UAH 1.136 million, has debt obligations of UAH 857.395 million, and assets are estimated at UAH 856.31 million. The authorized capital is UAH 50 thousand. The company employs 1 employee. The beneficiaries are businessmen Bohdan Kuspis and Ivan Kotsyo, who own a number of bakery plants in Lviv and Vinnytsia, restaurants, construction companies, etc.
OKKO Group unites more than 10 diversified businesses in manufacturing, trade, construction, insurance, maintenance and other services. The flagship company of the group is Galnaftogaz, which operates one of the largest filling stations in Ukraine under the OKKO brand, with about 400 filling stations.
The group’s founder and ultimate beneficiary is Vitaliy Antonov.
