Cargill became the majority (51%) owner of a joint venture with Neptune Port Holding B.V. brothers Yehor Hrebennikov and Andriy Stavnitser of M.V. Cargo LLC, a grain terminal Neptune with a design capacity of 5 million tonnes per year in Pivdenny port in the Black Sea.
“Neptune is meeting the growing demand for deep water port infrastructure in Ukraine by giving farmers access to new distant markets,” Cargill said in a statement on Friday.
The U.S. company said that in 2016 it signed an agreement with Stavnitser and Hrebennikov on the construction of the terminal, which started operation in 2019.
“Neptune is strengthening Cargill’s port infrastructure in the Black Sea region, therefore, we continue to invest in the agricultural sector of Ukraine,” Cargill said.
Neptune handles various types of grains and oilseeds, primarily maize, barley and wheat, with a depth of 16 meters at the terminal berth, which allows it to receive large-tonnage vessels. Cargill is an important user of the terminal, exporting a significant portion of the products purchased in Ukraine from it, but Neptune serves other customers as well.
“In short: Cargill had an obligation to enter the project, and we signed to bring the terminal to the level of Cargill’s space standards. Now Yehor and I are practically equal partners with the largest private food corporation in the world,” Stavnitser said on Facebook.
He said that in 2014, when the war broke out, an oil extraction plant in Donetsk was taken away from the U.S. investor, but Cargill was persuaded to make a new investment in Ukraine.
Stavnitser said that two years after the launch and in the process of completion, Neptune became grain terminal No. 2 on the Black Sea in terms of cargo turnover.
The statement does not contain information about the cost of the transaction. It is said that Cargill, as the majority shareholder, will lead the strategic development of the Neptune terminal, with a local team responsible for operational management.
Mauritius has allowed Ukrainian citizens to enter the country for tourist purposes, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has reported.
“Even in the difficult conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is systematically working to constantly expand the freedom of travel for Ukrainian citizens. We are opening new directions and routes, simplifying the entry regime, concluding visa-free agreements, agreeing on the recognition of vaccination certificates and the inclusion of Ukraine into national ‘green lists.’ Everything is being done so that Ukrainians can travel around the world freely and safely,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on Facebook, citing Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
According to an interactive map of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, the entry of Ukrainian citizens to Mauritius is allowed provided that they stay in self-isolation for two weeks from the moment of arrival and prepayment for the hotel where self-isolation will take place, as well as a negative test for coronavirus, made no later than 72 hours before arrival in country.
While in self-isolation, it is mandatory to re-take the coronavirus test on the 7th and 14th day of being in quarantine.
The Digital Transformation Ministry of Ukraine will cooperate with Amazon Web Services to accelerate the development of cloud technologies in the country, digital transformation and innovation.
The corresponding memorandum of cooperation was signed by Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov with Amazon in London.
“Another global technology giant has begun to work in Ukraine. The beginning of our cooperation is a positive signal to other large international companies and brands that it is possible and necessary to enter Ukraine,” he said on Telegram.
According to the minister, the ministry, together with Amazon, will develop skills in working with cloud technologies: Ukrainian universities will be able to join the AWS Academy program for free, modernize IT systems and agency policies in the field of cloud technologies; implement the ministry’s strategies for the development of IT infrastructure and the diffusion of cloud technologies (in particular, through the development of small and medium-sized businesses and start-ups that use cloud solutions).
“And this is just the beginning. I am glad to welcome Amazon in Ukraine,” Fedorov said.
The Scientific and Methodological Council for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine has recommended the approval of the historical architectural and reference plan of Kyiv, Minister of Culture and Information Policy Oleksandr Tkachenko said.
“Yesterday, after a long and difficult debate, the Scientific and Methodological Council recommended the approval of Kyiv’s plan by the Ministry of Culture. Now there will be something to appeal to in the fight against construction lawlessness,” Tkachenko wrote on Thursday in his Telegram channel.
According to him, a number of bureaucratic procedures will take several weeks before the plan is approved.
As reported, the director of the Department of Cultural Heritage of the Kyiv City Council Oleksandr Nykoriak expects that public discussions of the reference plan and the Master Plan of Kyiv will begin in the summer.
The Black Sea Trade and Development Bank (BSTDB) is ready to support projects to improve regional cooperation, but is currently focused on financing the health sector and supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SME), BSTDB President Dmitry Pankin has stated. “Better, solid, and ready to grow conditions might require more financing in the next few years. As such, our bank is ready to provide the necessary support to projects that can further improve regional cooperation and economic development,” he said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
“During the pandemic, investment everywhere slowed down, and BSTDB deferred projects in the infrastructure sector or for corporates looking to expand. Instead, Bank financing shifted more to health sector activities and especially support to SMEs, which found themselves facing difficulties in obtaining financing, particularly at the beginning of the pandemic.,” he stated.
“As ‘normalcy’ returns, we expect investment in expansion and growth to pick up again, and for our portfolio to adapt accordingly,” Pankin added.
The BSTDB was established in 1999 to support the development of the economies of the countries of the Black Sea basin. Its founders are the governments of 11 countries: Ukraine, Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Albania, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Russia. The headquarters of the BSTDB is located in Thessaloniki. The priority for the bank is the issues of transport communications, energy, agriculture, trade and others. The bank supports economic development and regional cooperation through the provision of loans, credit lines, equity capital and guarantees for projects and trade finance in the public and private sectors of the participating countries.
BLACK SEA TRADE, BSTDB, DEVELOPMENT BANK, REGIONAL COOPERATION
The deficit of Ukraine’s foreign trade in goods in January-May 2021 increased by 25.5% compared to January-May 2020, to $ 1.078 billion from $ 859 million, the State Statistics Service has reported.
According to its data, the export of goods from Ukraine for the specified period increased by 26.1% compared to the same period in 2020, to $ 26.608 billion, imports – by 26.1%, to $ 25.686 billion.
The service clarified that in May compared with April 2021, the seasonally adjusted export volume increased by 6.4%, to $ 5.523 billion, while imports decreased by 0.6%, to $ 5.567 billion.
The seasonally adjusted foreign trade balance in May 2021 was also negative and amounted to $ 440 million, which is worse than in the previous month ($ 410 million).
The ratio of coverage of imports by exports for the five months of this year, the same as in January-May 2020, amounted to 0.96%.
The State Statistics Service specified that foreign trade operations were carried out with partners from 220 countries of the world.
