The trade flow of agricultural products through road and railway checkpoints in Volyn increased 19 times in 2022, and the number of food products (1-24 groups of UKTZED) cleared by customs posts in the “export” mode increased 10 times, the press service of the Volyn Customs reported.
“Volyn Customs coped with a significant increase in workload due to promptly taken measures to optimize the time of customs procedures, redistribution of personnel, joint projects with border guards and the Polish side of the pilot projects of vehicle passage,” the report quotes the head of Volyn Customs Yuriy Ivaskiv as saying at a field meeting of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Agrarian and Land Policy.
Commenting on the work of Polish veterinary services on the Ukrainian-Polish border, Ivaskiv said that the Ukrainian side had repeatedly raised this issue at international meetings. However, the Polish side has stated that it is impossible to speed up these types of state control due to contradictions with the legislation of the European Union.
“Certain types of control (in particular, veterinary control – IF-U) can only be carried out at the border,” Ivaskiv reminded.
He noted that in August of this year, on average, 625 trucks were accepted at the Dorohusk checkpoint from Yahodyn per day, of which only 43 were carrying food products. Given the fact that all grain goods, including technical grain, are sent by the customs authorities for veterinary control, and product samples are examined within 2-3 days, trucks with this category of goods are waiting to cross Yahodyn in a separate electronic queue, he explained.
Ivaskiv reminded Volyn agricultural producers of the new requirements of the Customs Code, which will come into force on November 7, 2023. He recommended that everyone should not hesitate to apply for customs simplification in the NCTS or the status of an authorized economic operator (AEO).
“This will allow agricultural businesses to export products to the European market without having to present the goods to customs,” summarized the head of the Volyn Customs.
The current forecast of rapeseed harvest in Ukraine will be a record and will reach a maximum of 4.2 million tons due to expanded sown areas and high yields, the export potential of the market and its processed products will also reach a maximum, according to the analytical agency Ukragroconsult.
“The key to achieving such results is not only a large harvest and the launch of new processing facilities, but also the solution of logistical issues,” the report says.
According to analysts, in July, the export statistics showed a rather active start of the season, which is important in the absence of a grain corridor. Logistics has shifted to the Danube ports and land routes through the western borders.
Due to the constant attacks on the port infrastructure, the September contracts are focused on the road and rail logistics of rapeseed, experts said, citing information from market participants.
The analytical agency pointed to the change in the geography of exports of rapeseed and its products. Now the sales of Ukrainian rapeseed are focused not so much on the European Union, but on the UK, Switzerland and Bangladesh. The situation is similar with rapeseed oil, which is exported mainly to China and Malaysia instead of the EU market. At the same time, 95% of rapeseed meal goes to the EU market, while the remaining 5% goes to Vietnam.
As of August 22, 2023, Ukraine exported about 500 thsd tonnes of rapeseed and more than 58 thsd tonnes of rapeseed oil, analysts say, adding that current export figures allow us to consider optimistic scenarios.
27 leading agrarian associations have expressed support for the first deputy minister of agrarian policy and food of Ukraine Taras Vysotskyy and consider unacceptable the appearance of unproven accusations, the press service of the Ukrainian Club of Agrarian Business (UCAB) reported.
“Highly appreciating the activities of law enforcement agencies in the fight against corruption, the agrarian community expresses confidence that in this case an unfortunate mistake may be made,” the statement emphasized.
Agrarian associations called the charges brought against Vysotsky “premature”, and his decisions “taken in the interests of the state and society”.
The business community noted Vysotsky’s high professionalism in the management and coordination of the industry, thanks to which it was possible to avoid disruptions in food supply and ensure food security of regions in need of immediate food aid in the conditions of a full-scale invasion.
Leading agrarian associations called on law enforcement agencies, in particular the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), to take into account their opinion and objectively consider all case materials, circumstances, facts and make the right conclusions regarding “one of the most decent and professional officials”.
As reported, on August 24, 2023, the information of the NABU on suspicion of Vysotskyy in committing a criminal offense consisting in the deliberate use of official position in order to obtain an undue benefit for a legal entity contrary to the interests of the state was made public.
Ukrhazvydobuvannya JSC (UGV) has discovered a new gas field with reserves that may reach 1 billion cubic meters.
“The received geological information indicates that the reserves of the new field may reach 1 billion cubic meters of gas,” Naftogaz Ukrainy said in a press release on Tuesday.
UGV tested a drilling well with a depth of almost 4,000 meters “from scratch” and completed the work in August this year, before drilling the company’s specialists conducted a 3D seismic survey.
“This is not the first discovery of new hydrocarbon deposits this year. By building up reserves, we are creating a prospect for sustainable growth in gas production,” the press release quoted Ukrgasvydobuvannya’s acting general director Oleg Tolmachev as saying.
According to him, UGV will continue the geological exploration program at this field and plans to drill new wells.
As reported, UGV aims to increase natural gas production by 1 billion cubic meters to 13.5 billion cubic meters in 2023. In 2022, UGV produced 12.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas (commercial), which is 3% less than in 2021.
Naftohaz Ukrayiny owns 100 percent of Ukrhazvydobuvannya.
Prestige Insurance Company (Kyiv) plans to increase its authorized capital to UAH 49 million through an additional issue of shares worth UAH 27 million.
According to the information disclosure system of the National Securities and Stock Market Commission (NSSMC), this issue is on the agenda of the company’s shareholders’ meeting scheduled for August 30, 2023.
The company plans to place 27 thousand shares of the company with a par value of UAH 1 thousand.
At the same time, it is specified that the participants in the placement are the shareholders of IC Prestige PrJSC as of August 30, 2023: Yevhen Bridun, Ihor Bridun, Yuriy Myronchuk, and Svitlana Atamas.
As reported, Yevhen Breedun owns 88.01% of the company’s shares, and Ihor Breedun owns 9.986%.
Prestige Insurance Company was established in 2012. The company has 14 licenses for voluntary and 11 licenses for compulsory insurance.
The company completed the first quarter of this year with net written premiums of UAH 11.773 million, which is 3.6% less than in the same period a year earlier. Gross written premiums for the first quarter decreased by 18% to UAH 15.5 million, while ceded premiums to reinsurers increased by 4.3% to UAH 5.6 million.
In the first quarter of this year, the company paid out UAH 2.6 million (-19.1%). Administrative expenses increased to UAH 820 thousand (+16.5%), and sales expenses increased to UAH 8.238 million (+3.2%).
Financial result before tax amounted to UAH 476 thousand (-15.3%), net profit – UAH 15 thousand (-44.5%).
The authorized capital is UAH 22 million.
Polish oil concern Orlen, which owns Orlen Lietuva, which operates the Mazeikiai refinery, sold PLN2.292 billion ($513.1 million at current exchange rates) worth of products to customers headquartered in Ukraine in the first half of 2023, up 61.9% from the first half of 2022.
According to the company’s consolidated report on the Warsaw Stock Exchange, meanwhile, revenue in Ukraine fell by 8.2% to PLN1.046 billion ($234.2 million) in the second quarter of this year to the second quarter of last year.
The document specifies that directly Polish Orlen increased sales for Ukraine in the first half of the year to PLN1.253 billion ($280.5 million), although in the second quarter they decreased by 39.2% to PLN541 million ($121.1 million)
Overall, the Polish oil major’s sales jumped 79.1% to PLN184.891 billion ($41.4 billion) in the first half of this year, including a 29.1% jump to PLN74.612 billion ($16.7 billion) in the second quarter of this year.
The report indicates that since the beginning of February 2023, after the expiration of the contract with Rosneft, Russian oil supplies have covered only about 10% of the company’s demand for the commodity.
“These were only pipeline deliveries that were not subject to international sanctions,” Orlen pointed out.
It added that at the end of February 2023, the Russian side suspended deliveries through the Druzhba pipeline to Poland, which consequently led to the termination of the last contract with Tatneft for pipeline deliveries of crude oil to Poland from the Russian direction, so currently ORLEN refineries in Poland do not receive crude oil from Russia.
It is emphasized that the company has recently taken intensive actions to diversify supplies to the above mentioned refineries, which are carried out by sea transport from the North Sea, West Africa, the Mediterranean basin, as well as the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Mexico. Among others, Saudi Aramco is an important partner in the import portfolio for this feedstock, with whom Orlen has a strategic contract for crude oil supply in 2022. In addition, a long-term contract with BP for the supply of Norwegian crude oil was also concluded in 2023. Thus, according to the group, the suspension of oil supplies from Russia will not affect the supply of the company’s Polish customers, including gasoline and diesel fuel.
