Germany’s Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH (DEG) has approved $20 million financing to Astarta agricultural holding.
“The project will help the company to secure long-term working capital financing and capital expenditure program,” the company said in a report on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE).
According to a posting on DEG’s website, the financing is long-term one, but no other details are presented.
The German corporation said that some funds will be sent to buy newest equipment and modernization of production technology to cut natural resource consumption.
DEG is a subsidiary of Germany’s KfW development bank.
Astarta is a vertically integrated agribusiness holding operating in eight regions of Ukraine. The holding includes eight sugar factories, agricultural enterprises with a land bank of 243,000 hectares and dairy farms, a biogas plant and a soybean processing complex in Poltava region.
National bank of Ukraine’s official rates as of 25/11/19
Source: National Bank of Ukraine
Official rates of banking metals from national bank as of November 25
One troy ounce=31.10 grams
The mission of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), working in Ukraine during November 14-22, has said that it had constructive and fruitful discussions with representatives of Ukrainian authorities, although more discussions in the near future are needed for signing the Staff Level Agreement.
The mission has made significant further progress in discussions regarding measures and reforms that could form the basis of a new program supported by the IMF. Discussions will continue in the coming weeks, mission Head Ron van Rooden said in a statement released on Saturday.
Among the necessary steps discussed are measures in the monetary, fiscal and financial sectors, as well as reforms aimed at improving the business climate, strengthening the rule of law and boosting economic growth.
According to the statement, the IMF mission commended the significant progress made over the past few months towards reform and adhering to a balanced economic policy.
KMZ Industries (Karlivka Machine Building Plant, Poltava region) has won a tender for the supply of elevator equipment for a farm in Romania, which will be the first integrated supply of enterprise to the country of the European Union. According to information on KMZ Industries’ website, the production of elevator equipment (silos, transport and cleaning equipment) has already begun as part of the order, which will be delivered to the customer for installation in 2.5 months. At the same time, the value of the contract was not disclosed.
The press service of the company told Interfax-Ukraine that, in addition to local firms, large international companies such as AGI, Simaga and others, participated in the tender. In addition, this will be the first supply of Ukrainian elevator equipment to the EU.
“The agreement with the Romanian farm provides for the integrated supply of equipment for storing grain for further processing on the fish feed production line. This is a small amount compared to our orders, but very significant for us. In addition, the agrarian received partial funding for this supply from European funds who put forward very serious requirements for the quality of the equipment being financed,” Oleksandr Tkachenko, the head of the export business of KMZ Industries, said.
According to him, the plant plans to expand cooperation in this region.
Moody’s Investors Service on November 22 changed the outlook on the Government of Ukraine’s ratings to positive from stable. At the same time, Ukraine’s long-term issuer and senior unsecured ratings have been affirmed at Caa1.
“The affirmation of Ukraine’s Caa1 ratings reflects its – while showing signs of improvement – significant external vulnerability,” Moody’s said.
The sizeable external debt repayments due over the coming years would – in the absence of a new International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme – require continued market access. At the same time, the risk of a new flare-up in geopolitical tensions continues to constrain upward movement in the credit rating at this time.
The key drivers for the change in the outlook to positive are: the rebuilding of Ukraine’s foreign exchange reserves is reducing external vulnerability in the context of large external repayments; and the improvement of Ukraine’s macroeconomic stability and the prospect for renewed reform momentum is strengthening the country’s economic resilience.
Concurrently, Moody’s has affirmed the Ca rating on the $3 billion eurobond that Ukraine sold in December 2013. The sole subscriber of the notes was the Russian government. The bond is under dispute due to the international armed conflict between the two governments.
Finally, Ukraine’s long-term foreign currency bond and deposit ceilings remain unchanged at B3 and Caa2 respectively, while the short-term foreign currency ceilings for bonds and deposits remain Not Prime (NP). The country ceilings for local currency bonds and deposits are also unchanged at B3.
