JSCB Lviv and Aqua Agro LLC (Vinnytsia) have announced the launch of a partnership program aimed at improving conditions for farmers when buying seeds, plant protection products and fertilizers, the bank’s press service reports.
According to the report, farmers can purchase products of Aqua Agro LLC by borrowing funds from Lviv JSCB at a rate of 0.01% per annum in UAH for a period of 3 months. The program’s advantages include no collateral, no issuance fee and no insurance for loans of up to UAH 5 million; a simplified process of assessing the financial condition of an agricultural enterprise and personal support from a bank manager.
Aqua Agro LLC was registered in 2021 in Vinnytsia. It is a distributor of plant protection products, seeds and fertilizers, including biological ones.
JSCB Lviv was established in 1990. In 2007, it became a fully foreign-owned bank. In January 2019, 51% of the bank’s shares were bought by the Swiss responsAbility Fund, and in 2022, the Nordic Environmental Finance Corporation Nefco bought 13.94% of the bank’s shares. According to the bank’s website, it serves more than 30 thousand customers a year and ranks fifth in terms of the number of branches in Western Ukraine.
The “Operator of the gas transport system of Ukraine” announced a tender for compulsory civil liability insurance of owners of motor vehicles (OSAGO) on January 10, according to the electronic state procurement system Prozorro.
The expected cost is UAH 9.503 million. The deadline for submission of documents is January 21.
Keir Starmer will travel to Ukraine in the coming weeks to discuss the possibility of deploying an international peacekeeping force there after the conflict with Russia has ended, his first visit to the war-torn nation since becoming UK prime minister half a year ago.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced the plan following a meeting with allies at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany, without saying when Starmer would visit. The UK premier is planning to go to Kyiv in the coming weeks as Europe ramps up preparation for US President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House, a person familiar with the matter said. Starmer’s office declined to comment.
“This initiative was started by Emmanuel Macron. The British look at it positively, but I will talk in detail with the prime minister about it at our meeting, it will take place,” Zelenskiy told reporters late Thursday. “He will be visiting Ukraine, he will have a visit to Ukraine, and we will talk.”
Macron, Tusk to Discuss Post-Ceasefire Ukraine Troop Plan
European leaders have in recent weeks discussed the possibility of sending troops for a peacekeeping mission to Ukraine once a cease-fire is reached, ahead of Trump’s inauguration later this month. He’s promised to deliver a swift resolution to the conflict via a negotiated settlement.
Zelenskiy’s remarks Thursday evening came as Macron and Starmer met for dinner at the UK premier’s Chequers countryside retreat. The two men “reiterated their unwavering support” for Ukraine and discussed the importance of ensuring the country is “in the strongest possible position in 2025,” according to a readout from Starmer’s office.
The pair also discussed the potential for a joint peacekeeping force in Ukraine, according to a person familiar with the matter. Such a proposal would depend on a negotiated peace deal between Ukraine and Russia, which President Vladimir Putin has so far shown no willingness to discuss.
A possible peacekeeping mission would come at a later stage of negotiation, once a cease-fire is achieved, to avoid any risk of escalation, Bloomberg previously reported.
In 2024, Ukrainian enterprises maintained imports of copper and copper products in value terms at the level of the previous year – up to $140.797 million. Copper exports increased by 22.4% to $88.237 million. In December, the country imported copper worth $13.487 million and exported it worth $7.128 million.
Copper is widely used in electrical engineering, pipe manufacturing, alloys, medicine and other industries.
In 2024, Ukraine exported 44.903 thousand tons of manganese ore to the United States once in January for $6.563 million, breaking the two-year absence of supplies to foreign markets.
According to statistics released by the State Customs Service (SCS), there were no exports of manganese ore in February-December.
At the same time, the country imported 84.293 thousand tons worth $18.302 million from Ghana (98.85%), Brazil (0.99%) and Belgium (0.11%) in 2024, with no imports in October-November.
Import growth occurred in July and August last year, when 17.811 thousand tons were imported in July, 10.017 thousand tons in August, and in September it increased to 56.447 thousand tons.
In 2023, Ukraine imported 44.203 thousand tons of manganese ore.
As reported, Ukraine did not export manganese ore in 2022 and 2023, and in 2021 exported 770 tons for $89 thousand. In 2023, it imported 44.203 thousand tons for $7.020 million.
In 2022, Ukraine reduced imports of manganese ore and concentrate in physical terms by 68.1% compared to the previous year to 135,798 thousand tons, and in monetary terms by 66.4% to $18.098 million. The main imports came from Ghana (99.16% of supplies in monetary terms), Slovakia (0.71%) and Belgium (0.10%). In August-November 2022, there were almost no imports of manganese ore.
In addition, it was reported that the Pokrovsky Mining and Processing Plant (PGOK, formerly Ordzhonikidze Mining and Processing Plant), a part of the Privat Group, and Marhanetsky Mining and Processing Plant (MGOK, both in Dnipropetrovska oblast), in late October and early November, had been shutting down. ) stopped mining and processing crude manganese ore in late October and early November 2023, while NFP and ZFP stopped smelting ferroalloys, and later ferroalloy enterprises slightly resumed production.
In Ukraine, Pokrovske and Marhanets mining and processing plants extract and enrich manganese ore.
Manganese ore is consumed by ferroalloy companies.
In 2024, the Ukrainian construction market in monetary terms increased by 6% compared to 2023 and amounted to approximately UAH 170 billion (€3.9 billion).
The main segments for investment in commercial real estate were warehousing and retail facilities. Kyiv and Lviv regions remain the most attractive for the construction of new buildings, as they have a large population and good location relative to major transport routes. In 2024, the total area of new commercial projects increased by 65% compared to 2023. The warehouse segment grew by 111% and the retail segment by 22%.
The vacancy rate in the office real estate market of about 25% has forced developers to slow down or stop the development of new projects in this segment. In Kyiv, most of the new business centers are facilities that were started before the full-scale invasion. In Lviv, despite the increased demand for offices, 75% less new office space was commissioned in 2024 than a year earlier.
In the commercial construction market, the hotel real estate segment showed the highest growth, up 182%. This is primarily due to the active development of resort real estate in western Ukraine.
The restoration and protection of critical infrastructure accounts for about 20% of the construction market.
Demand in the primary residential real estate market increased by 12% in 2024. One of the important factors behind this was the introduction of the eHouse program, which accounted for a third of loans to new buildings.
In 2024, the demand for solar power plants on the roofs of commercial buildings and roofs of private cottages increased significantly.
Between 2019 and 2024, the cost of construction in Ukraine doubled. At the same time, the cost of construction materials and services increased by about 24% over the past year.
There is a growing shortage of skilled construction workers in blue-collar occupations. For some positions, companies have to look for specialists for several months and sometimes train employees themselves.
The shortage of skilled workers and high inflation are forcing employers to raise salaries and introduce new employee loyalty programs. On average, salaries in the construction industry grew by 15% over the year, which also contributed to the growth in construction costs.
Construction companies are actively recruiting pensioners and women to perform work that does not require significant physical activity: construction equipment operators, drivers, welders, etc.
The staff shortage encourages Ukrainian companies to consider hiring construction specialists from Asia and Africa.
On January 1, 2023, the Law of Ukraine “On the Placing of Construction Products on the Market” (EU Regulation 305/2011) came into force, introducing a new market surveillance system to ensure the quality of construction materials. 2025 will be the last year when the old and new regulations will be in force in the construction sector. Starting from 1 January 2026, suppliers of construction products covered by this law will be required to draw up declarations of performance and register them in the Unified State Electronic System in the field of construction.
Starting from August 2024, amendments to the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 314 allow foreign companies to construct facilities of consequence class CC2 and CC3 during martial law by submitting a declaration to the licensing authority. This opens up wide opportunities for foreign contractors to implement construction projects in Ukraine, especially those financed by international institutions.
For 2025, the Ministry of Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine has planned to update 7 DBNs and develop 80 standards aimed at implementing processes to optimize design and construction, including BIM technologies, as well as removing barriers to the application of Eurocodes.
