In September, Ukraine will cut barley exports by more than half due to a reduction in Chinese purchases of the crop, according to the analytical cooperative Pusk, created within the framework of the All-Ukrainian Agrarian Council (AAC).
“The Ukrainian barley market is undergoing significant changes that affect export prospects. As of August 19, exports of this grain reached 315 thsd tonnes, but preliminary forecasts for September are worrying. The volume of contracts for August is 600 thousand tons, while only 280 thousand tons are contracted for September. This is almost half as much,” analysts said.
In their opinion, the main reason for the future decline in exports is the decrease in demand from China, which previously provided more than half of Ukraine’s barley exports.
“The Chinese factor plays a significant role here, as China used to account for 55-56% of the geographical structure of Ukrainian barley exports. China is not expected to return to the Ukrainian grain as actively, but will probably switch to Australian barley, which will be delivered in December-January. Without Chinese contracts, monthly exports of Ukrainian barley will not exceed 300 thousand tons,” the experts explained.
They pointed out that the decline in demand from China is already beginning to be felt in the domestic market. A number of traders stop accepting barley, switching to other crops such as corn.
At the same time, they point to a significant correlation between barley and wheat markets and predict that the expected rise in wheat prices will also contribute to the growth of barley prices.
“The notional barley prices are still in the range of $170-172 per ton. We can expect that the wheat market will pull up the barley market. So, by the end of August and beginning of September, there may be a certain increase in barley prices. But starting in September, barley may become a more niche crop,” Pusk summarized.
Metinvest Pokrovskugol is constructing a belt conveyor to transport coking coal from the 2nd longwall of block 11.
According to the company, the conveyor is being constructed by the Conveyor Transport 12 section of Pokrovskoye Mine Administration.
Significant coal reserves of the new longwall are noted.
“The miners are modernizing the existing conveyor chain that runs through the conveyor pavement of the southern panel of block 10 and the conveyor pavement of the central panel of block 11. At the same time, they are replacing 2000 meters of belt web and installing a new feeder PK-14,” the company said in a statement.
As reported earlier, Ukraine’s largest coking coal producer Pokrovskoye Mine Administration, a part of Metinvest Group as part of Metinvest Pokrovskugol, is preparing to commission another longwall. The 2nd longwall of block 11 is expected to be launched this year.
It is noted that this is a promising area: the reserves amount to 1.5 million tons of coal, the seam thickness reaches 1.48 m, and coal mining will begin in September.
“Metinvest is a vertically integrated group of steel and mining companies. Its businesses are located in Ukraine, in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipro regions, as well as in Europe and the United States.
The major shareholders of Metinvest B.V. are SCM Group (71.24%) and Smart Holding Group (23.76%), which jointly manage the company. Metinvest Holding LLC is the management company of Metinvest Group.
The Presidium of the League of Insurance Organizations of Ukraine (LIOU) has appointed Tetyana Mosiychuk to the position of vice-president, LIOU President Viktor Berlin said on his Facebook page.
“We have very ambitious goals, and for their realization we need professionals of the highest level. The tasks are many, the challenges are huge, it will not be easy, but I believe in our synergy!”, – emphasized Viktor Berlin.
According to him, Tetyana Mosiychuk will be responsible for the direction of interaction with the market regulator, as well as will tighten the activities already started by LSOU on consolidation of the insurance market of Ukraine.
“I thank you for your trust and I quite agree that it is very important now that the insurance market is united. There is still a lack of a monolithic voice of insurers. I believe it is necessary that insurance companies not only hear, but also take into account their position,” – said Tetyana Mosiychuk.
As reported, Tetyana Mosiychuk headed the Department of Supervision over the non-banking financial services market of the NBU from March 13, 2023 to May 3, 2024.
Tetyana Mosiychuk has worked in the financial sector of Ukraine for more than 30 years, in particular, she has significant experience in insurance, as well as in consulting and investment spheres.
Prior to her appointment to the National Bank, she worked as an advisor on strategic development of the insurance market to the Director General of the Insurance Business Association (2022-2023), was a member of the Management Board and Deputy Director of Persha Insurance Company (2021-2022). Prior to that, she worked in the Ukrainian Fire Insurance Company as Head of the Board (2019-2021), First Deputy Head of the Board (2018-2019).
She has significant experience in the civil service: she worked as Deputy Head of the State Commission for Regulation of the Financial Services Market of Ukraine and Head of the Financial Planning Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. She was an expert for EU projects in the field of financial market reforms.
Mosiychuk graduated with honors from Kharkiv State University (qualification: economist). In 2016, she received a PhD in Economics with a specialization in Economic Security of the State.
The Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights, De-occupation and Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine, National Minorities and Interethnic Relations recommends that the Verkhovna Rada adopt in the first reading the presidential draft law on multiple citizenship (No. 11469).
According to the press service of the Verkhovna Rada’s apparatus, this decision was made at a meeting of the committee on Tuesday.
As previously reported, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy submitted draft law No. 11469 “On Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine on Ensuring the Exercise of the Right to Acquire and Retain Ukrainian Citizenship” to the Verkhovna Rada.
According to the explanatory note to the draft law, the goals and objectives of the draft law are to update the legal regulation of Ukrainian citizenship, taking into account the need to ensure national security and national interests of Ukraine.
The draft law also simplifies the procedure for acquiring Ukrainian citizenship and improves the regulation of the legal status of foreigners and stateless persons who, in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Ukraine, are performing/have performed military service under contract in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the State Special Transport Service, the National Guard of Ukraine or are one of the spouses of such a person or a child of such a person.
It is noted that the adoption of this draft law will expand the opportunities for certain categories of foreigners and stateless persons to acquire Ukrainian citizenship. At the same time, multiple citizenship will not be introduced for people with Russian citizenship or citizens of states that do not recognize the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine.
The Verkhovna Rada has ratified the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
The corresponding bill No. 0285 on the ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and amendments to it as a whole was voted for by 281 MPs at the plenary session of the Verkhovna Rada on Wednesday, Oleksiy Honcharenko, a member of the European Solidarity faction, said in a Telegram message on Wednesday.
Ukraine ratified the Rome Statute with declarations on the procedure for relations with the ICC and for seven years after the Rome Statute enters into force “does not recognize the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court over its citizens for crimes under Article 8 of the Rome Statute” (war crimes).
The draft law confirms Ukraine’s recognition of the ICC’s jurisdiction over crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes since November 21, 2013, and declares recognition of the ICC’s jurisdiction over the crime of aggression since July 17, 2018 (the date of entry into force of the amendments adopted by the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute in Kampala on the crime of aggression).
As noted in the explanatory note to the draft law, ratification of the Rome Statute will allow Ukraine to become a full member of the International Criminal Court. After the Rome Statute enters into force, Ukraine will participate in the work of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute and will be able to submit candidates for the election of judges and prosecutors to the ICC. Membership in the Rome Statute will help prevent and deter the commission of particularly serious crimes in the future. Ukraine will be able to effectively cooperate with the ICC, which will help ensure that those responsible for particularly serious crimes that are of concern to the international community are punished.
The housing price index in Ukraine at the end of April-June 2024 amounted to 110%, while in the same period of 2023 the index amounted to 114.2%, the State Statistics Service reported. According to its data, in the primary market housing prices in the second quarter of 2024 accelerated growth to 12.6% against 11.9% in the first quarter of last year. The growth in prices for one- and two-bedroom apartments amounted to 12.8%, three-room apartments – 12.5%.
In the secondary market, prices slowed down to 8.7% in April-June 2024 against 15.6% in the same period of 2023. Thus, the price growth for one-bedroom apartments amounted to 9%, two-bedroom apartments – 8.8%, three-bedroom apartments – 8.7%.
Compared to the previous quarter, housing prices rose by an average of 0.5%, while in the primary market – increased by 2.1%, in the secondary market – decreased by 0.3%.
According to the State Statistics Committee, since the beginning of the year, the prices on the “primary market” increased by an average of 15.1%, with one-room apartments – by 15.2%, two-room apartments – by 15%, three-room apartments – by 15.1%. In the secondary market, prices rose by 12.4%, 11.9% and 12%, respectively.
The State Statistics Committee pointed out that the figures are given without taking into account the temporarily occupied territories and part of the territories where there are (were) hostilities.
