The sunflower processing in Ukraine in December, atypically for this period, decreased and amounted to about 1 mln tonnes, which is 17% lower than in November and the lowest figure for December since 2014, APK-Inform news agency reported.
“Among the key factors of influence is the rather strict policy of restraining the sale of raw materials by farmers due to the reduction of sunflower production, which led to a significant reduction in oilseed stocks at the enterprises,” the analysts said.
Given the continued downward price dynamics in the export market of sunflower oil, some of the mills suspended operations in December until the price environment improves. At the same time, a number of companies temporarily switched to soybean processing, APK-Inform stated.
In January-September 2024, BUSIN Insurance Company (Kyiv) collected UAH 160.6 million in gross premiums, which is 6.98% less than in the same period of 2023.
This was reported by the rating agency Standard-Rating in the information on updating the credit rating/financial strength rating of the insurer at the level of “uaAA+” on the national scale based on the analysis for the specified period.
At the same time, revenues from reinsurers decreased by 22.75% to UAH 29.186 million.
Insurance payments sent to reinsurers in the first nine months of 2024 increased by 61.35% to UAH 178.299 million compared to the same period in 2023. Thus, the ratio of reinsurers’ participation in insurance premiums increased by 47.02 percentage points to 111.03%.
Net written premiums for the specified period of 2024 amounted to UAH 17.706 million, and net earned premiums amounted to UAH 25.694 million. During this period, the company paid UAH 31.869 million in insurance claims and indemnities to its clients, which is more than 44 times higher than the amount of insurance claims paid in the same period in 2023. Thus, the level of payments increased by 19.42 percentage points to 19.84%.
As of October 1, 2024, the company’s assets decreased by 4.89% to UAH 298.706 million, equity decreased by 18.30% to UAH 161.156 million, liabilities increased by 17.75% to UAH 137.55 million, cash and cash equivalents increased by 26.51% to UAH 322.196 million.
Busin Insurance Company was registered in February 1993. It specializes in risky types of insurance. The company is a member of a number of professional and industry associations, including the League of Insurance Organizations of Ukraine, the Insurance Benefits Club, the International Association of Aviation Insurers (UA), the Nuclear Insurance Pool, the American Chamber in Ukraine, and the British Business Club.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has announced a project strategy to support small farmers in a number of frontline regions and will provide them with $1,000 vouchers to purchase grain seeds for the upcoming spring and autumn sowing campaigns, the FAO press service reports.
“FAO is committed to empowering farmers to rebuild and sustain their livelihoods by providing access to quality agricultural inputs, strengthening local economies and promoting the long-term resilience of war-affected communities,” the statement said.
The initiative is funded by the governments of Germany and France. It is expected to be an important step in restoring agricultural production and strengthening the food security of communities affected by the ongoing war.
The program will be open to 550 small and medium-sized farmers who cultivate land plots ranging from 10 to 300 hectares in Chernihiv, Donetsk, Kherson, Odesa and Zaporizhzhia regions. Priority will be given to farms run by women and those operating near the frontline, where farming conditions remain difficult.
Farmers interested in participating can apply for assistance through the State Agrarian Register (SAR) until January 26, 2025. After the applications are processed, selected participants will receive confirmation through the SAR, as well as detailed information on how to receive and use the vouchers.
FAO noted that applying does not guarantee assistance, as eligibility will be determined based on specific program criteria.
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has approved $250 million in financing to support Uzbekistan’s accelerated climate transition to a green, inclusive and resilient economy.
This project marks an important milestone in promoting sustainable economic growth in line with the Uzbekistan 2030 Development Strategy, as well as the country’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
The project will cover three interrelated areas. First, it will improve climate-related governance structures. Second, it will focus on improving water and land management while promoting economic resilience. Thirdly, the project will accelerate the transition to low-carbon solutions in key sectors such as energy and transportation, prioritizing energy efficiency and sustainable practices.
In addition, the project will pay special attention to the implementation of sustainability and climate risk disclosure practices for state-owned enterprises, as well as to the expansion of renewable energy initiatives that benefit women and vulnerable communities.
Forecast of power system capacity deficit, %
Open4Business.com.ua
Ukraine is planning to complete a large-scale reconstruction of the international road border crossing point (IRCP) Yahodyn (on the border with Poland) by 2028. According to the Operational Plan of the Border Infrastructure Development Strategy with EU countries and the Republic of Moldova until 2030, posted on the website of the Cabinet of Ministers, it is planned to build a terminal, a bridge crossing over the Western Bug River, parking lots for trucks, reconstruction of access roads.
It is planned to allocate UAH 400 million – half of the necessary amount of UAH 850 million – for the construction of the terminal at PP already in 2025. The remaining 450 million UAH will be financed in 2026, including at the expense of international technical assistance.
In addition, “reconstruction of the existing section” is envisioned, for which UAH 5 million of the required UAH 868 million has been allocated in 2024. In 2025 it is planned to allocate UAH 65 million, in 2026 – UAH 400 million and the same amount in 2027. The works will be financed from the state budget and international technical assistance.
At IACP “Yahodyn” in 2025 will be introduced a video monitoring system “Traffic Management System”, for which 150 million UAH will be allocated at the expense of international technical assistance. In addition, the purchase of a scanning system of mobile type with portal scanning function will be completed by the end of 2025. For this purpose 55.4 million UAH will be allocated at the expense of the loan of the Republic of Poland. The first tranche – 55.4 million UAH for the purchase of the system was allocated in 2024.
The project of reconstruction of IACP “Yagodin” provides for the construction of a new bridge crossing over the river Western Bug – 1.5 billion UAH. For the realization of this project it is planned to allocate UAH 20 million in 2025, UAH 500 million in 2026, UAH 500 million in 2027 and UAH 480 million in 2028, including at the expense of international technical assistance.
In addition, it is envisaged to overhaul the public highway of state importance M-07 and the approaches to the auto terminals of Yagodyn No. 2 and Yagodyn No. 3. In 2025, UAH 236.09 million out of the required UAH 236.66 million will be allocated for the implementation of this project, including at the expense of EU technical assistance, in particular, the CEF project (covers 50% of project needs – IF-U). In 2024, UAH 0.56 mln was allocated for the project implementation.
Among other things, the construction of new parking lots for trucks is envisaged, for which UAH 179.8 million will be allocated in 2025 and UAH 227.9 million in 2026, including at the expense of CEF mechanisms. In 2024, UAH 3.74 million out of the required UAH 411.16 million has been allocated for the project implementation.
Reconstruction and overhaul of the M-07 Kyiv-Kovel-Yagodin highway with a length of 69.9 km is envisaged. In 2026 it is planned to allocate UAH 2.5 million, in 2027 – UAH 4.5 million and another UAH 4.5 million in 2028 out of UAH 11.5 million required for the realization of this project. Funding will be provided from the state budget.
