Greenhouse business without mistakes: take the new course “Greenhouse Agro Solutions” from leading industry experts at AgriAcademy
A new professional online course, “Greenhouse Agro Solutions,” created by a team of leading experts in Ukraine’s greenhouse sector, is now available on AgriAcademy, a platform offering free certified courses for Ukrainian agribusiness.
This innovative course for the greenhouse business was created by the winner of the national competition for the development of online training courses for SMEs in the Ukrainian agricultural sector — the Green Agro Solutions Public Association. The course is already available for enrollment, and its first online presentation attracted more than 100 farmers and representatives of agricultural companies, which indicates a high demand for modern professional content for agribusiness.
A year ago, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in partnership with the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine and the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, announced an open call for proposals for the development of online training courses. This initiative is funded by Ireland through the EBRD Small Business Facility and the FAO. The EBRD Small Business Promotion Fund is financed by Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Japan, the TaiwanBusiness – EBRD Technical Cooperation Fund, and the United States of America.
The goal was to develop online training courses to address the shortage of professional knowledge and skills in the agricultural sector, food and processing industries, with a focus on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Ukraine. The competition received 74 preliminary applications and 54 sets of documents, of which 35 were selected for final evaluation by an expert commission. Vitaliy Vorontsov, head of the Green Agro Solutions advisory service, received a certificate for funding the development of the course from the FAO.
“It is a great honor for our team that the idea of the Greenhouse Agro Solutions course won the competition and was selected by AgriAcademy for implementation. We are sincerely grateful to the organizers and partners of the project for their trust and the opportunity to create a training product that will help Ukrainian farmers gain the most up-to-date knowledge,” said Vitaliy Vorontsov, head of the agricultural advisory service of the Green Agro Solutions public association.
The course program is designed to provide entrepreneurs and farmers with systematic knowledge on the creation, modernization, and management of greenhouse farms — from engineering and microclimate to economics, innovation, and sustainable development.
“In the course of our work, we sought to create a truly unique course — one that had never been seen before in Ukraine. A course that combines engineering, agronomy, biosecurity, economics, and innovation. To this end, I assembled one of the strongest teams of specialists in the greenhouse sector—practitioners, engineers, scientists, and experts who work every day in greenhouses, on projects, and in real production conditions. Our task was simple and at the same time very important: to create a course that would be understandable, practical, and useful for small and medium-sized businesses, farmers, students, and anyone who wants to develop modern greenhouse production in Ukraine.
I believe that this course will become a new growth point for the greenhouse industry, help develop the professional community, and support those who are building the future of the Ukrainian agricultural sector,” emphasizes Vitaliy Vorontsov.
About the course: practical tools, innovations, and adaptation to the new realities of the greenhouse sector
The course program has been developed taking into account the challenges faced by Ukrainian greenhouse farms—climatic risks, energy costs, lack of technical information, and the consequences of war on production infrastructure.
The training covers ten key modules:
Course developers: the team shaping the greenhouse sector
The course was created by experts with many years of experience in applying technologies for the greenhouse business:
It was thanks to this victory that the team of expert practitioners was able to go the whole way – from concept to the creation of a full-fledged training program, which was developed, tested, and prepared for launch in 2025.
The course gives farmers access to the tools they need to modernize their greenhouses, reduce costs, increase yields, and implement energy-saving solutions.
Accessible technical education contributes to the restoration of production, increases the competitiveness of farmers, and strengthens the country’s food security.
The program is shaping a new culture of greenhouse management, where engineering, technology, and environmental approaches work together.
The course is free and already available on the AgriAcademy platform!
The platform also offers over 30 certified online courses for Ukrainian agribusiness.
According to Serbian Economist, representatives of the Serbian and Romanian governments have recently officially confirmed their intention to develop a major transport project — to build a modern motorway that will provide a direct road link between the capitals of the two countries.
The project combines two national infrastructure plans:
— the Romanian A9 motorway (Timișoara–Moravița), which will connect Timișoara with the Serbian border, and
— the Serbian Belgrade–Vatin motorway with access to the Romanian border.
According to an intergovernmental agreement signed by the transport ministers of Serbia and Romania, both countries are working to agree on the technical details so that the roads connect at the border and create a continuous high-speed route from Belgrade to Timișoara.
In Romania, the section of the motorway between Timișoara and the Moravița border crossing is already in the preparation and design stage, and individual sections of the construction have been handed over to contractors.
This route is of strategic importance to both countries:
• It will strengthen transport links between the countries and improve freight and passenger transport logistics.
• The connection to the European motorway network will help integrate Serbian and Romanian infrastructure into European transport corridors.
The project is expected to be financed by both European funds and national budgets, and its implementation will be a step towards closer economic and transport integration in the region.
https://t.me/relocationrs/1926
Ukraine increased imports of goods in January-November 2025 by 18.5% in monetary terms to $75.4 billion, while exports decreased by 4.02% to $36.8 billion from $38.3 billion, according to the State Customs Service of Ukraine (SCS).
“At the same time, taxable imports amounted to $57.6 billion, which is 76% of the total volume of imported goods. The tax burden per 1 kg of taxable imports in January-November 2025 was $0.52/kg,” the SSU notes.
The countries from which the most goods were imported to Ukraine included China ($17 billion), Poland ($7.1 billion), and Germany ($5.9 billion).
The largest exports from Ukraine were to Poland ($4.6 billion), Turkey ($2.5 billion), and Germany ($2.2 billion).
Of the total volume of goods imported in January-November 2025, 67% fell into the following categories: machinery, equipment, and transport – $30.2 billion (during customs clearance of these goods, UAH 185.8 billion, or 29% of customs payments, was paid to the budget); chemical industry products – $11.4 billion (UAH 89 billion, or 14% of customs payments, was paid to the budget), fuel and energy products – $9.4 billion (UAH 188.4 billion, or 29% of customs payments, was paid).
The top three most exported goods from Ukraine were food products – $20.4 billion, metals and metal products – $4.3 billion, machinery, equipment, and transport – $3.4 billion.
“In the first 11 months of 2025, during customs clearance of exports of goods subject to export duties, UAH 1.2 billion was paid to the budget,” the SSU added.
Bucharest. At the forum “Rebuilding Ukraine: Security, Opportunities, Investments,” during a panel discussion, experts from the business and financial sectors stated that only a limited number of Romanian companies are currently ready to participate in large-scale projects to rebuild Ukraine, while access to financial instruments and risk-sharing mechanisms remains a key prerequisite for their more active involvement.
The panel was moderated by Cristina Chiriac, president of the National Confederation of Women Entrepreneurs of Romania (CONAF). The discussion was attended by Teodora Preotias, Director of European Funds Administration at the Romanian Bank for Investment and Development, Mihai Daraban, President of the Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Viorel Manole, Executive Director of the Romanian Defense Industry Association PATROMIL.
The participants noted that the market for projects to rebuild Ukraine is currently largely structured by international financial institutions, which have high requirements for corporate governance, compliance, and risk management. According to them, a significant number of Romanian companies do not have sufficient operational capacity to act as main contractors and are forced to limit themselves to the role of subcontractors in supply chains.
“Participation in large projects requires access to credit lines, guarantees, and risk-sharing mechanisms, which are mostly administered by international financial institutions. Without this, many of our companies simply cannot enter into such contracts directly,” Preotasa noted during the discussion.
Experts emphasized the need to create an official Romanian-Ukrainian information platform that would consolidate data on available tenders, donor requirements, and opportunities for business participation. They also called for the development of a national strategy to support companies operating or planning to operate in the Ukrainian market in conditions of heightened political and security risks, including state guarantees and investment insurance instruments.
A separate discussion focused on the possibility of locating part of strategic production capacities in Romania or other safe neighboring countries to ensure continuity of production and logistics. According to Manole, such an approach could strengthen the contribution of national industry to the reconstruction of Ukraine while minimizing security risks for investors. He had previously publicly noted the potential of locating Ukrainian defense production in Romania as an element of bilateral cooperation.
Following the discussion, the participants concluded that Romanian companies have significant potential in Ukraine’s reconstruction projects, but its implementation depends on the coordination of state institutions, the availability of financial instruments, and close cooperation with international partners and financial organizations.
The forum “Rebuilding Ukraine: Security, Opportunities, Investments” is being held on December 11-12 in Bucharest under the auspices of the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is organized by the New Strategy Center. According to the organizers, more than 30 panel discussions and parallel sessions are planned over two days with the participation of representatives of governments, international organizations, the private sector, financial institutions, and experts from Europe, North America, and Asia. The topics of the panels cover security and defense, infrastructure, financing and investment, green energy, digitalization, human capital, and cross-border cooperation.
In January-November of this year, Ukraine’s metallurgical enterprises increased their revenues from ferrous metal exports by 3.72% compared to the same period last year, to $2 billion 979.392 million.
According to statistics released by the State Customs Service (SCS) on Friday, ferrous metals accounted for 8.08% of total export revenues during this period, compared to 7.48% in January-October 2024.
In November, export revenues amounted to $274.028 million, compared to $312.781 million in the previous month.
At the same time, Ukraine increased imports of similar products by 12.6% to $1 billion 542.449 million in January-November 2025. In November, products worth $107.877 million were imported.
In addition, in January-November 2025, Ukraine reduced exports of metal products by 1.96% to $853.934 million. In November, exports amounted to $79.789 million.
Imports of metal products during this period increased by 21.4% to $1 billion 166.113 million. In November, $119.551 million worth of these products were imported.
As reported, in 2024, Ukrainian metal companies increased their revenues from ferrous metal exports by 16.9% compared to the previous year, to $3 billion 96.343 million. At the same time, Ukraine increased imports of similar products by 13.1% over the past year, to $1 billion 478.814 million.
In 2023, Ukraine reduced its revenues from ferrous metal exports by 41.6% compared to 2022, to $2 billion 647.72 million. Ferrous metals accounted for 7.3% of total revenues from goods exports during this period, while in 2022, the share was 10.3%. At the same time, Ukraine increased imports of similar products by 37% in 2023, to $1 billion 307.05 million.
In addition, in 2023, Ukraine reduced exports of metal products by 16.6% compared to 2022, to $877.92 million. At the same time, imports of metal products increased by 40.3%, to $902.57 million.
At the Rebuilding Ukraine: Security, Opportunities, Investments forum in Bucharest, participants in a panel discussion on the role of the private sector in Ukraine’s reconstruction emphasized that attracting private capital is critical for the implementation of large-scale projects, but its participation is impossible without effective mechanisms for financing, insurance, and reducing investment risks.
The panel “Private Sector – A Key Actor in the Reconstruction of Ukraine. Financing and Insurance Instruments” was moderated by Victor Srayer, managing partner of Otto Broker (Romania). The discussion was joined by Volodymyr Tsabal, secretary of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Budget, and Susan E. Walton, senior advisor on new markets – global risks and sustainability (USA) Susan E. Walton, CEO of BCR – Romanian Commercial Bank Sergiu Manea, Director of Legal and External Relations at Vodafone Romania Alexandra Olaru, and JBIC Regional Head for EMEA, Resident Executive Officer of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation Takayuki Sato.
Participants noted that the private sector, both Ukrainian and foreign, faces a double challenge. Ukrainian companies have limited access to debt financing due to high interest rates, war risks, and domestic capital market constraints. Foreign investors, in turn, are forced to take into account political and military risks, as well as regulatory peculiarities of working in Ukraine.
The main solutions identified were the use of blended financing instruments, the involvement of international financial organizations to cover part of the risks, and the creation of a guaranteed framework by the state and partners that makes projects “bankable” for commercial structures. “For private capital to enter the reconstruction process, investors need to clearly see which risks are assumed by the state and international financial institutions, and which are assumed by themselves. Without this, projects either do not start or remain at the conceptual level,” Manea noted.
Special attention was paid to the role of political and military risk insurance, as well as the importance of transparent information and local partner networks. According to the speakers, successful project implementation requires strategic coordination between government agencies, donors, and private businesses, particularly in terms of selecting priority projects, structuring agreements, and monitoring their implementation.
The panel participants also emphasized that reconstruction is impossible without reliable digital and energy infrastructure. The experience of neighboring countries that have undergone large-scale infrastructure programs can be used to implement practical solutions in Ukraine. “Private capital, combined with government support and good governance, can significantly accelerate post-war recovery. The state’s task is to create predictable rules of the game and an institutional environment that will make this possible,” Walton concluded.
Following the discussion, participants concluded that the private sector has significant potential in rebuilding Ukraine, but that realizing this potential depends on the availability of financial instruments, effective insurance protection mechanisms, and coordinated action between public and private actors.
The forum “Rebuilding Ukraine: Security, Opportunities, Investments” is being held on December 11-12 in Bucharest under the auspices of the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is organized by the New Strategy Center. According to the organizers, more than 30 panel discussions and parallel sessions are planned over two days with the participation of representatives of governments, international organizations, the private sector, financial institutions, and experts from Europe, North America, and Asia. The topics of the panels cover security and defense, infrastructure, financing and investment, green energy, digitalization, human capital, and cross-border cooperation.
