The deficit of Ukraine’s foreign trade in goods in January-July 2018 increased by 42.7% compared to January-July 2017, to $4.064 billion (it was $2.848 billion in January-July 2017), the State Statistics Service of Ukraine said. The deficit in July alone was $1.406 billion, while it was $602.7 million in June, $632 million in May, $221.6 million in April, $460 million in March, $457 million in February, and $284.1 million in January.
Exports of goods in January-July this year increased by 12.7% year-over-year, to $26.876 billion, while imports grew by 15.9%, to $30.94 billion.
Seasonally adjusted exports in July 2018 decreased by 7% from June 2018, imports grew by 0.7%. Seasonally adjusted foreign trade in July 2018 was negative and the deficit was estimated at $1.214 billion. The deficit was also registered in June 2018 ($894.2 million), in May ($ 946.5 million), in April ($570.8 million), in March ($508.2 million), in February ($411.8 million) and in January ($580.5 million).
The ratio of coverage of imports by exports was 0.87 (it was 0.89 in January-July 2017).
Ukraine traded with partners from 212 countries.
Kyivsky cardboard paper mill (Obukhiv, Kyiv region), a leader in Ukraine’s pulp and paper industry in terms of production and sales, produced goods worth UAH 3.565 billion in January-August 2018, which was 16.8% up year-over-year. Thus, production in the first eight months ending August 2018 somewhat increased compared to the same period last year, the UkrPapir association said.
Corrugated packaging output grew by 10.5%, to 154.93 million square meters, which was the second highest result among producers of corrugated packaging in Ukraine after Rubizhne cardboard packaging mill in Luhansk region (with Trypilsky packaging plant).
Production of cardboard increased 8.1%, to 137,840 tonnes. Production of package cardboard alone grew by 20.2%, to 93,960 tonnes, while box cardboard output fell by 11%, to 43,880 tonnes.
However, production of base paper (for sanitary products) stood at 52,480 tonnes, which is 6.2% up. Toilet paper output grew by 6%, to 280 million rolls.
Corrugated packaging output in total in Ukraine (including other producers) grew by 3% January through August 2018, to 667.37 million square meters, that of paper and cardboard increased by 6.7%, to 633,570 tonnes.
Kyivsky cardboard paper mill is one of the largest cardboard and paper producers in Europe. It employs almost 2,200 people. It sells produce to almost 700 companies in Ukraine, some CIS member states and the rest of the world.
One troy ounce=31.10 grams
PJSC Odesa Port-Side Plant plans to terminate a contract with Liberty Gas LLC, which won a tender to process gas on a tolling basis at the plant’s facilities, First Deputy Director of Odesa Port-Side Plant Mykola Schurikov has said.
“Liberty Gas has so far paid funds in the amount of $600,000 and UAH 5 million to the plant. Unfortunately, we received a letter from Liberty about the impossibility to fulfill the terms of the contract with the Odesa Port-Side Plant in the future. We begin the procedure for termination of the contract and are preparing a new tender to select a partner to work with the plant,” he wrote on his Facebook page.
According to the letter of Liberty Gas to the Odesa Port-Side Plant, posted by N Schurikov, the limited liability company transferred funds to start the plant and paid an advance for processing services. The company also entered into a contract with Vitol to supply gas and Keytrade AG to ship products.
“Unfortunately, today the global natural gas market has an unjustified increase in the cost of gas, and over the past several weeks the gas price has increased by more than 50%, which has a very negative effect on the economic performance under the contract between our enterprises,” the company said in the letter.
As reported, at the end of July, the Odesa Port-Side Plant, which has been idle since the end of April this year, signed a contract to process gas on the tolling basis at the facilities of the enterprise with Liberty Gas LLC, which won the corresponding tender. The launch was scheduled for the end of September.
The representatives of Ukraine and the European Union have signed a memorandum of understanding and a loan agreement on providing the fourth program of macro-financial assistance to Ukraine (MFA IV) in the amount of EUR1 billion.
On the part of Ukraine, the documents were signed by Acting Minister of Finance Oksana Markarova and Governor of the National Bank Yakiv Smolii, from the side of the EU by Vice President of the European Commission for Euro and Social Dialogue, Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union Valdis Dombrovskis.
The ceremony of signing the loan agreement and the memorandum was attended by President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman.
After signing, the head of state thanked the European Commission and Dombrovskis for “the comprehensive and great support the European Union provides to the Ukrainian government and the Ukrainian people.”
“This is a great help in carrying out the reforms and supporting the reforms – not only financial, but also consultative – and you are rightfully a participant and co-sponsor of the reforms that have been held in Ukraine over the past four years,” Poroshenko said.
