The deadline for completing construction work to extend the Syretsko-Pecherska line of Kyiv Metropoliten is postponed for a year, Oleh Tokarev, the head of the supervisory board of PJSC Kyivmetrobud, the project’s general contractor, has said at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine. “The deadline has been disrupted for one year. The launch is postponed for a year,” he said.
“I think it [construction according to the schedule] won’t be completed. Today, the lag is not less than 7-8 months,” Yevhen Shataikin, the chief engineer for the construction of subway to Vynohradar, said.
According to him, currently the work is not carried out in full.
“Since Oleksandr Metelytsia had been actually moved away from solving problems, a systematic non-fulfillment of the schedule began. We were set aside from the process of purchasing equipment. The equipment that was purchased today does not work in full with the speed we foresaw. We are falling behind schedule,” he said.
BDO Corporate Finance LLC, the adviser to the State Property Fund of Ukraine (SPF) on preparation for privatization and sale of a 100% stake in PrJSC United Mining and Chemical Company, to which Vilnohirsk Mining and Metallurgical Plant (Dnipropetrovsk region) and Irshansk Mining and Processing Plant (Zhytomyr region) were transferred, predicts significant competition among buyers. According to a BDO Corporate Finance press release, the privatization adviser company organized and engaged qualified consultants to audit the company’s financial statements in accordance with IFRS for the nine months of 2019, conduct environmental audit, legal, tax, financial, operational and technological due diligence, valuation of mineral reserves and a 100% stake in accordance with the plan of preparation for privatization.
In December 2019, BDO Corporate Finance began pre-marketing: studying the interest in privatization of the company among qualified potential investors, which include international strategic industrial companies, international specialized investment funds and Ukrainian industrial groups.
BDO Corporate Finance Managing Partner Vitaliy Strukov noted that the company had attracted BDO offices in the UK, Ireland, Germany, France, Belgium, Japan, Hong Kong, China, Australia, the United States and Canada to contact potential buyers faster.
Over 70,000 square meters of retail space in trade and entertainment centers in Kyiv and regional centers were leased in 2019 with the participation of UTG consulting company (Kyiv) as a broker, the press service of the company has said. “During the company’s activity and as of the end of 2019 about 4.7 million square meters of space have been leased in various shopping centers in Kyiv and regional centers of Ukraine, of which more than 70,000 square meters this year,” the company said.
As reported, in 2018 space commissioned with the participation of UTG amounted to 72,000 square meters, and in 2017 some 54,000 square meters.
In particular, in 2019 with the assistance of UTG, agreements were signed with Leroy Merlin Ukraine and Multiplex cinema in the Odesa shopping center Riviera.
In addition, the new Kyiv shopping centers Smart Plaza Obolon, Cherry Mall, and others were launched with a 100% occupancy rate.
UTG (Kyiv) was established in 2001. It specializes in consulting commercial and residential real estate, brokerage of retail premises and comprehensive support of development projects.
Analysts at Credit Suisse Bank forecast the economic growth of Ukraine at 4% and higher in 2020 and 2021, according to a bank report. “Our main expectation from the Ukrainian economy is that in the coming years it will grow at or above 4%, which is slightly higher than its potential,” the report said.
“If our viewpoint is correct, investors should consider the possibility of a higher payout ratio for GDP warrants from 2021 (40% instead of 15% if real GDP growth reaches 4%),” analysts said.
At the same time, interest in the Ukrainian securities market will continue this year, which will support the national currency rate. However, the NBU will continue to participate in foreign exchange interventions, restraining the further strengthening of the hryvnia, Credit Suisse suggests.
“In the future, we expect a moderate weakening of the hryvnia against a background of a lower difference in interest rates, a wider current account deficit and a more active NBU policy to curb the strengthening of the hryvnia,” the report said.
The central bank will also continue to steadily lower the discount rate in 2020, analysts suggest.
Milk production in Ukraine in January-December 2019 decreased by 3.7% compared to 2018, to 9.69 million tonnes.
According to the State Statistics Service, 3.48 million tonnes of meat (live weight) was produced in 2019, which is 4.8% more than in 2018.
Egg production in January-December increased by 3.4%, to 16.68 billion.
As reported, with reference to statistical data, milk production in Ukraine in 2018 decreased by 1.8% compared to 2017, to 10.1 million tonnes.
Egg production in 2018 increased by 4.1%, to 16.14 billion, meat (in live weight) by 1%, to 3.3 million tonnes.
Rubizhne cardboard packaging mill in Luhansk region, one of Ukraine’s largest cardboard packaging producers, produced 251.07 million square meters of corrugated cardboard boxes in 2019, including goods from its subsidiary, Trypilsky packaging plant in Kyiv region, which was 2.5% down year-over-year.
Since early 2019, the two enterprises demonstrated a slight increase in this indicator compared to the previous period of 2018, though started to decline following the results of the first half of 2019.
The UkrPapir association said that last year the mills reduced production of components of corrugated cardboard (cardboard and fluting) by 26%, to 216,600 tonnes.
The total commodity amount produced by both enterprises in the period in monetary terms decreased almost 21%, to UAH 4.44 billion.
The Rubizhne cardboard packaging mill has been working on the packaging market since 1991. It produces components for corrugated cardboard (cardboard and fluting) and corrugated cardboard boxes. It also produces cardboard for gypsum boards.
Its most important customers are large confectioneries, juice and tobacco producers.
The Rubizhne cardboard packaging mill acquired Trypilsky packaging plant in 2002 and subsequently began producing corrugated cardboard and corrugated packaging.
In 2018, they produced 257.53 million square meters of corrugated cardboard boxes, which was 13.6% up on 2017.
