In the three years since the launch of the land market in Ukraine, more than 254 thousand transactions for the purchase and sale of farmland have been concluded, under which half a million hectares of land were purchased with an average cost of UAH 41 thousand, according to Opendatabot.
“567.322 thousand hectares of agricultural land have been acquired in the three years since the opening of the land market in Ukraine. Ukrainians concluded 253.416 thousand transactions for the sale of land plots at an average price of 41 thousand UAH/ha. Most of the land was purchased in 2023 – 179.921 thousand hectares,” the report says.
According to the resource, the most popular for the entire time of the market’s operation were farmland in Poltava region, where 60.36 thousand hectares were sold. The average price per hectare in the region reached 42.75 thousand UAH. It is followed by Dnipropetrovska oblast – 58.869 thousand hectares and Kharkivska oblast – 54.458 thousand hectares.
It is noted that the outbreak of a full-scale war has affected buyer demand and land prices. In six months of 2024, Ukrainians purchased 17.04 thousand hectares of land in Poltava region, paying an average of UAH 52.59 thousand per hectare. In Dnipropetrovska oblast, 12.95 thousand hectares have been sold for UAH 34 thousand since the beginning of this year. Instead of the frontline Kharkiv region, Kirovohrad region has risen to the top three – 9.38 thousand hectares at 38 thousand UAH/ha.
The most expensive land in 2024 was in Ivano-Frankivsk region – 101 thousand UAH/ha.
“So far, only a quarter of the land has changed ownership through sale and purchase. The vast majority of changes of ownership concern land inherited – 65% of alienations,” the resource summarized.
As reported, on July 1, 2021, the land market opened in Ukraine. At the first stage, only ordinary citizens could buy agricultural land, but since 2024, the market has been open to businesses.
Ferrexpo plc, a mining company with major assets in Ukraine, produced 3 million 297,441 thousand tons of pellets in January-June this year, up 67.6% year-on-year (1.967 million tons).
According to a press release on Monday, Ferrexpo produced 1 million 483,468 thousand tons of pellets in the second quarter of this year, down 18.2% from the previous quarter (1 million 813,973 thousand tons).
At the same time, the total production of commercial products (pellets and iron ore concentrate) in the first half of this year increased by 75.3% compared to the same period in 2023, to 3 million 727.336 million tons from 2.126 million tons. In particular, the production of saleable concentrate amounted to 429.865 thousand tons compared to 160 thousand tons in January-June 2023.
Commenting on the group’s performance, Interim Executive Chairman Lucio Genovese pointed to strong production results for the first six months of 2024, up 83% compared to the same reporting period in 2023 and up 75% compared to the first half of last year.
“This is our best result since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. During the quarter, access to the Black Sea shipping corridor allowed us to continue shipping from Ukrainian ports. It is estimated that over 800 vessels, including 90 carrying ferrous metals, have safely passed through the corridor since it opened in late 2023. An increase in the number of shipowners willing to charter vessels to Ukrainian ports has led to improved availability, but freight rates and insurance premiums remain high not only for passage to Ukraine but also through the Red Sea,” Genovese said.
He also stated that other price pressure factors continued to increase in the second quarter, especially electricity prices. Attacks on energy production and transmission infrastructure have significantly reduced Ukraine’s domestic energy supply. Mr. Genovese added that Ferrexpo had started looking for alternative energy from Ukraine’s European neighbors in advance, which has so far resulted in minimal disruption to its operations.
“So far, we believe that the level of risk is acceptable given the ongoing war in Ukraine. We will continue to utilize all available export capacity to ensure that the interests of all stakeholders are supported, while maintaining labor levels to increase production, generate taxes and royalties for the government and continue our humanitarian activities,” the acting CEO summarized.
According to the press release, the group successfully operated two and sometimes three pelletizing lines (out of four) during the quarter, changing product quality depending on customer demand and expanding logistics capabilities. With the variable capacity of each pelletizing line, total production for the quarter amounted to 1 million 672,506 thousand tons, including 1 million 483,468 thousand tons of pellets and 189,038 thousand tons of concentrate.
DR pellet production resumed during the quarter. The Group’s nearly completed press filtration complex has improved the physical strength and chemical quality of pellets.
Group CFO Nikolay Kladiev noted that during January-June this year, the company quickly brought previously idle capacities back into operation, thanks to renewed access to customers from the Middle East, North Africa and Asia, which led to an improvement in the cash conversion cycle.
“While we took advantage of the opportunity to produce, export and sell more, the higher iron ore prices we benefited from in the first quarter did not carry over into the second quarter. This, combined with higher electricity prices, resulted in lower margins as we approached the end of the second quarter. However, we maintained our cash position, even as we invested in capex projects aimed at maintaining resilience and improving efficiency,” the CFO stated.
As reported, Ferrexpo produced 3.845 million tons of pellets in 2023, down 36.5% from 2022.
Ferrexpo owns a 100% stake in Yeristovo Mining, 99.9% in Bilanivsky GOK and 100% in Poltava Mining.
In January-June 2024, Express Insurance (Kyiv) made payments in the amount of UAH 243.3 million, which is 62.7%, or UAH 92.7 million, more than the same period in 2023, according to the insurer’s website.
In particular, payments for hull insurance amounted to UAH 206.2 million, or 57.8% more than in the same period a year earlier, for MTPL – UAH 31.5 million (+137.8%), for voluntary health insurance – UAH 3 million (-6%), payments under other insurance contracts – UAH 2.6 million (+7.3%).
At the same time, the company reports that in June 2024, payments to customers amounted to UAH 43.9 million, which is 55.5% more than in June 2023. In particular, the company paid out UAH 35.8 million (+41.4%) under motor hull insurance contracts and UAH 6.9 million (+266.1%) under MTPL insurance contracts.
Express Insurance ALC was founded in 2008 and is part of the UkrAVTO group of companies. The company specializes in motor insurance. The consistently high speed of claims settlement in the IC is ensured by optimal interaction with partner service stations.
Since April 2012, Express Insurance has been an associate member of the Motor Transport Insurance Bureau of Ukraine.
Ukrainian pork producers increased pork exports in June by 1.5 times compared to May, mainly to the United Arab Emirates, while imports continue to decline, the Pig Producers of Ukraine association reported, citing data from the State Customs Service.
According to the report, the volume of pork imports (UKT ZED 0203) in June amounted to 195 tons, and the average customs value of an imported kilogram was $2.27, which is $0.3 less than in May.
“Pork exports in June were 1.5 times higher: almost 296 tons of pork were exported out of the country during the month, with a total value of about $700. In general, 2024 was a very atypical year for foreign trade in pork, because the gap between the volume of pork imports from abroad and exports of Ukrainian pork is not so significant,” analysts said.
Thus, the total imports in January-June amounted to 1.63 thousand tons, which is 3.5 times less than the volume imported in the first half of 2023, and exports for this period are only a quarter less – 1.2 thousand tons, which exceeds last year’s volumes of shipments to foreign markets, the report says.
In their opinion, the decline in prices in the domestic market observed in the first half of the year is quite natural: a lower domestic price creates a barrier to entry for imported pork and at the same time helps to improve the competitive position of products in foreign markets.
At the same time, despite the divergence of export and import volumes, there is a certain parallel, as the geography in both cases is limited.
“All the pork imported in June came from Canada, while Ukrainian pork was sent to the UAE market. In the first half of 2024, revenues from Canada accounted for 66% of imported pork, and 9 out of 10 kg of pork exported outside the country entered the market of the United Arab Emirates,” the industry association stated.
In June 2024, registrations of electric vehicles (new and used) in Ukraine increased by 35% compared to the same month in 2023, to about 4.2 thousand units, Ukravtoprom reported on its Telegram channel.
Compared to May of this year, demand for them increased slightly.
In particular, the share of new electric cars in total registrations in June, as in the previous year, amounted to 19%, having increased by 3 percentage points by May 2024.
The bulk of the registered electric cars were passenger cars – 4,079 thousand units (784 new units, 3,295 thousand units used), and only eight of 119 commercial vehicles were new.
The top five new electric cars in May were Honda M-NV – 140 units, Nissan Ariya – 91 units, MG 4 – 71 units, Volkswagen iD.4 – 71 units, BYD Song Plus – 62 units.
The top 5 newly registered used cars include Tesla Model 3 – 419 units, Nissan Leaf – 410 units, Tesla Model Y – 367 units, Volkswagen e-Golf – 208 units, and TESLA Model S – 196 units.
According to the Association, in the first half of the year, more than 24.4 thousand units of vehicles with battery power sources were registered for the first time in Ukraine (almost twice as many as in the same period in 2023), of which 20% were new (22% a year earlier) and 80 were used.
As reported, in 2023, according to Ukravtoprom, registrations of electric cars in Ukraine increased 2.8 times to 37.6 thousand, with new cars accounting for 20% compared to 17% a year earlier.
Centravis Production Ukraine, a part of Centravis Ltd.
“This month marks a turning point for Centravis: we are introducing our latest innovation – the launch of Balev 304L® and Balev 316L®. These innovative steel grades are designed specifically for high-pressure environments and mark a step forward in our product offering,” said Artem Atanasov, Centravis’ Sales Director, in a letter to customers.
According to him, thanks to the patented heat treatment technology, Balev 304L® and Balev 316L® provide superior strength and corrosion resistance, making them ideal for critical applications in aerospace hydraulic systems, automotive fuel injection and other demanding industrial environments.
These materials are designed to outperform traditional duplex stainless steel, ensuring optimum performance even in the most demanding environments, Atanasov said.
“I would also like to report on the stability of Centravis’ operations. The power and water supply remain stable, which ensures the smooth operation of our company,” emphasized the Sales Director.
“Founded in 2000, Centravis is one of the ten largest producers of seamless stainless steel pipes in the world. Its main production facilities are located in Nikopol (Dnipropetrovska oblast). In 2023, the company opened a branch in Uzhhorod.
Centravis Holding Ltd. was established on the basis of Nikopol Stainless Pipe Plant CJSC, service and trading companies of Production and Commercial Enterprise YUVIS LLC. Its shareholders are members of the Atanasov family. Centravis Ltd. owns 100% of the shares in Centravis Production Ukraine.
