Housing commissioning in Ukraine in January-September 2024 increased by 23% compared to the same period in 2023 – up to 6 million 732.9 thousand square meters, the State Statistics Service reported.
According to the report, 3 million 504.8 thousand square meters of housing were put into operation in cities in nine months, which is 7.5% higher than in the first three quarters of last year. In rural areas, compared to last year, 47.2% more housing was commissioned – 3 million 228.1 thousand square meters.
In total, 79.1 thousand apartments were commissioned in January-September 2024, which is 18.9% more than in January-September 2023. At the same time, 53.1 thousand apartments were commissioned in apartment buildings. In cities, 49.2 thousand apartments were commissioned, in villages – 29.9 thousand.
In the first nine months of the year, Kyiv region commissioned the most housing – 1 million 395.1 thousand square meters, or 14.9 thousand apartments (20.7% of the total), exceeding the figure for the comparable period in 2023 by 38.4%. Next comes Lviv region with 783.3 thousand square meters, or 9.2 thousand apartments (11.6% and +44.4%, respectively); Ivano-Frankivsk region – 457.1 thousand square meters, or 5.2 thousand apartments (6.8%, +13.6%); Vinnytsia region – 347.2 thousand square meters, or 4.7 thousand apartments (5.2%, minus 46%).
In Kyiv, 814.4 thousand square meters of housing, or 12.1 thousand apartments (12.1%, minus 2.9%), were commissioned in the first nine months of the year.
According to the State Statistics Service, the largest increase in housing commissioning in January-September was recorded in Kherson region, where the figure increased 11 times compared to the same period in 2023, to 3.4 thousand square meters (0.1% of the total), as well as in Donetsk region – six times, to 19.7 thousand square meters (0.3%), and in Zaporizhzhia region – four times, to 33.2 thousand square meters (0.5%).
The data are based on housing commissioned in accordance with the temporary procedure for commissioning houses built without a building permit, as well as excluding the territories temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation and parts of the territory where hostilities are ongoing, the State Statistics Service reminds.
As reported, by the end of 2023, the commissioning of housing in Ukraine increased by 3.8% compared to 2022 – up to 7 million 380.7 thousand square meters.
Norway is allocating an additional NOK50 million ($4.5 million) to the Grain from Ukraine initiative.
According to the Norwegian government’s website, the new contribution underscores Norway’s commitment to supporting global food security and helping countries most affected by hunger and high food prices.
“Norway’s expanded support underscores its commitment to preventing hunger and promoting stability in regions most affected by the global crises. We support this initiative, and we also support increasing local food production in the Middle East and Africa,” said Norway’s Minister for Development Cooperation, Anne Beate Christiansen Tveinnerheim.
The Grain from Ukraine initiative, launched by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in November 2022, ensures the safe transportation of Ukrainian grain to developing countries, especially in the Global South. This program became especially important after Russia withdrew from the Black Sea Grain Agreement in July 2023, which caused an immediate increase in global food prices.
The initiative has delivered over 170 thousand tons of Ukrainian grain to countries such as Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Yemen and Gaza. These vital deliveries have provided much-needed assistance to regions such as Gaza, where more than 90% of the population faces acute food shortages.
Norway’s latest contribution of NOK50 million follows an earlier pledge of NOK100 million to the initiative. In total, the program has received commitments of more than $250 million from more than 25 countries. This funding has helped boost Ukraine’s grain and oil exports, which before the war accounted for more than 15% of global grain exports and more than 50% of sunflower oil exports.
On the European market, prices for wheat and corn fell on Monday and Tuesday, while prices for rapeseed and soybeans may remain lower due to the escalation of hostilities in Ukraine last week, German publication Agrarheute.com reported.
Analysts say that the wheat market, which was supported by the escalation of the situation in Ukraine for most of last week, is under pressure due to the lack of new elements, the publication writes.
German experts attribute the decline in wheat and corn prices to the fall of the euro against the dollar: last Friday, its rate was recorded at $1.0333, a two-year low.
“The fall in the euro actually supports European wheat exports (and wheat prices) and slows down high imports of corn and rapeseed,” the resource noted.
Meanwhile, according to most analysts, the dominance of Black Sea wheat remains a factor that puts pressure on the European market, especially given the recent drop in Russian wheat prices. At the same time, wheat from the southern hemisphere is becoming increasingly important on the market.
Agrarheute referred to the data of the European Commission, according to which the European Union has already imported 3.5 mln tonnes of soft wheat since the beginning of 2024-2025 marketing year as of November 17, of which 2.5 mln tonnes, or approximately 70%, came from Ukraine, and the rest – from Canada, Moldova, the USA and Serbia. The main recipients were Spain (almost 2 million tons) and Italy (530 thousand tons).
“Starting December 1, Ukraine will introduce a system of minimum export prices for agricultural products, including wheat, corn and barley. Minimum prices will be calculated by the Ministry of Agrarian Policy on a monthly basis, and exports below these prices will be prohibited,” the publication noted.
Experts emphasized the difficulty of forecasting the situation on the global agricultural market due to the introduction of the mechanism of setting minimum export prices for agricultural products by Ukraine and its impact on the structure of the harvest and Ukrainian exports.
“We are quickly approaching the holiday season, which means there is less fundamental data to trade on the grain markets than we usually get in the rest of the year,” the publication quoted Kaden Sweeney, hedge strategist and market analyst at AgMarket.net, as saying.
Since the December USDA report is always similar to the November report, we probably won’t have any new supply and demand data until January 10, Agrarheute concluded.
The increase in raw milk prices in the second half of November was due to the growing interest of European traders in domestically produced butter, but the decline in demand for dairy products in the domestic market may stabilize prices in the second half of December, according to the Association of Milk Producers (AMP).
According to analysts, as of November 20, the average purchase price of extra milk increased by 1 UAH/kg to 19.40 UAH/kg excluding VAT, the price of premium milk increased by 1.20 UAH/kg to 18.65 UAH/kg excluding VAT, and the price of first-class milk increased by 1 UAH/kg to 17.7 UAH/kg.
Accordingly, the weighted average price of the three varieties amounted to 18.58 UAH/kg excluding VAT, which is 1.07 UAH more than a month earlier.
AVM analyst Giorgi Kukhaleishvili noted that another increase in raw milk prices in Ukraine was caused by the increased demand for butter in foreign markets in November.
“As the price of New Zealand butter rose to $7 thousand/ton, European traders started to turn to Ukrainian producers with a desire to buy butter at more attractive prices. After a slight decline in demand for exchange-traded products at the beginning of the month, there is now an increase in interest in butter and cheese on foreign markets,” the expert explained.
At the same time, the AMP points to a decrease in demand for raw milk from Ukrainian dairy processing enterprises in November compared to September-October. At the same time, the growth rate of purchase prices is gradually slowing down due to a decrease in consumer demand for dairy products in the domestic market.
“Ukrainian consumers with below-average incomes have started to deny themselves dairy products due to rising prices not only for dairy products but also for other food products. Consumption of spreads is growing in the country as a cheaper alternative to butter,” the industry association stated.
The growth of raw milk prices is constrained by high prices for finished products and the difficulty of selling them to consumers in the domestic market. Under such conditions, a slight increase in purchase prices is possible in early December with the prospect of further stabilization in the second half of the month, the AMP predicts.
Since the beginning of the 2024/25 season, sugar factories-members of the National Association of Sugar Producers Ukrtsukor have produced 1.165 million tons of sugar as of November 21, the association’s press service reports.
“Ukrainian sugar factories have already accepted 9 million tons of sugar beet for processing, from which they produced 1.165 million tons of sugar, which is almost equal to the same date last year,” the statement said.
The industry association noted that in the season 2024/2025 MY sugar beet processing in Ukraine is carried out by 29 sugar factories, 28 of which are members of the association.
At the same time, Ukraine has almost completed the harvesting of sugar beet, which was harvested in the amount of 11.9 million tons from an area of 251.2 thousand hectares with an average yield of 47.6 tons per hectare.
As reported by Interfax-Ukraine, citing data from the Ukrtsukor association, 37 sugar factories operated in Ukraine in 2023. One plant in Kharkiv region, which is located in the de-occupied territory, was not ready to enter the processing season, as farmers in the region did not sow sugar beets.
On December 10, 2024, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) of the World Bank Group plans to consider a EUR55 million loan to Concern Galnaftogaz to finance the construction of a 147 MW wind farm in Volyn region and technical support.
According to the IFC website, the total cost of the project is estimated at EUR 235 million. The 16-year loan will be granted to Wind Power G.I. Volyn LLC and Wind Power G.I. Volyn 3 LLC.
As reported earlier, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) plans to approve a EUR62 million long-term loan to the above-mentioned LLC on 4 December 2024 for the construction of a 147 MW wind farm in Volyn region.
The wind farm is expected to produce about 380 GWh (380 million kWh) of renewable electricity with zero carbon emissions annually.
In February 2024, the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU) allowed GNG Retail Limited (Cyprus) to acquire more than 50% of the authorized capital of Wind Power G&I Volyn LLC and Wind Power G&I Volyn 3 LLC.
According to public registers, GNG Retail Limited owns 89.5% of the two LLCs, and JSC ZNVKIF Rimini (in which Vitaliy Antonov owns 83.19%) owns 10.5%.
OKKO CEO Vasyl Danyliak announced the start of work on the construction of a wind farm in Volyn region in the fall of 2024. He explained the group’s plans to work in the renewable energy sector by the need to diversify its business, as the fuel market no longer foresees growth.
“Galnaftogaz operates one of the largest networks of OKKO filling stations, which includes more than 400 complexes with a network of catering facilities. The group also includes other businesses.
Vitaly Antonov’s GNG Retail Limited owns 90.25% of Concern Galnaftogaz shares. In October 2024, Avalia Investments Limited (Cyprus) of the founder and chairman of Concorde Capital, Igor Mazepa, became the owner of another 7.35% of the shares.
