The mining company Ferrexpo with assets in Ukraine points to the illegality of the revocation of one of the licenses – for the exploration of the Haleshchyna (Kremenchug) deposit of ferruginous quartzites – after the sanctions were imposed on the Belanovsky mining and processing plant (BGOK, Gorishny Plavni, Poltava region), a part of the group.
According to Ferrexpo’s annual report, on June 24, 2021, the official website of the president published a decree enacting the decision of the Rada of National Security and Defense of Ukraine on the application of personal special economic and other restrictive measures and sanctions.
BGOK is included in the list of legal entities subject to sanctions.
“The decree and the decision do not contain legal grounds for the application of sanctions,” the group believes.
At the same time, it is specified that the sanctions revoke the license to develop the Galeshchino deposit, one of the two licenses owned by BGOK.
The company continues to defend its interests in courts. The next court hearing is scheduled for April 3, 2023.
The Galeshchinskoye deposit is at the exploration stage and is located to the north of the group’s active mining operations.
As reported, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree on June 24, 2021, which enacted a decision of the National Security and Defense Council to permanently cancel the licenses of nine mining companies, including BGOK, which is part of Konstantin Zhevago’s Ferrexpo group. The decree cancels the special permit for the use of subsoil resources at the Galeshchynskoe (Kremenchug) iron ore deposit from 2004 to 2036.
Ferrexpo is an iron ore company with assets in Ukraine.
Ferrеxpo owns a 100% stake in Yeristovskiy GOK LLC and a 99.9% stake in Belanovskiy GOK LLC. Before the September 2022 court ruling, Ferrexpo also owned 100% of Poltava GOK PJSC.
Number of refugees from Ukraine in selected countries as of 31.01.2023
Source: Open4Business.com.ua and experts.news
Terra Food, a large Ukrainian dairy producer, increased its export revenues in 2022 by 15% up to $41 mn, the company’s export director Maxim Voytovych said at the Exporters Summit organized by Forbes Ukraine.
According to him, the sales increase was possible due to the diversification of the export portfolio and flexibility with which the company reacts to the changes in the consumer sentiment in Europe.
He pointed out that the headliner of the company’s sales in Poland was a vegan analogue of the butter TM NATURALE. The company also launched this brand on the Baltic, Bulgarian and Hungarian markets and plans to supply Germany.
The B2C segment now accounts for 60% of Terra Food’s export portfolio, and the rest is B2B.
The company is also beginning a major expansion into the Chinese market, which it postponed because of full-scale Russian aggression.
“In March 2022 we were planning a large-scale expansion into China. We postponed that case because of the war, but we will launch that project in the near future. If you want to enter China, you can’t do it on the phone – you have to be present there, work with distributors,” Voytovich said, noting that a feature of the Chinese market is “risk aversion.”
Terra Food (TM “Ferma”, Premialle, “Tulchinka”, “Bila Line”) produces products in Ukraine at five companies.
The enterprises on operations with scrap ferrous metals in January-February this year, reduced the procurement of scrap metal by 70.7% compared to the same period last year – to 152.2 thousand tons from 520.4 thousand tons.
As reported in the operational information of the Ukrainian Association of Secondary Metals (UAVtormet) on Friday, the export of scrap metal during this period amounted to 24.8 thousand tons compared to 7.1 thousand tons in January-February 2022 (an increase of 3.5 times). In this case, the import of scrap was 0.04 thousand tons, whereas in the first two months of last year it was 0.1 thousand tons.
Scrap supplies to the country’s metal companies in January-February 2023 decreased by 75.3% compared to January-February 2022 – to 120.2 thousand tons from 488.5 thousand tons.
As of March 1, 2023, the level of scrap metal stock at metal companies in Ukraine was estimated at 15-20 thousand tons.
As reported earlier by UAVtormet, Ukraine in 2022, reduced the procurement of scrap metal by 75.9% compared to the previous year – up to 996.7 thousand tons from 4.136 million tons. The export of scrap metal last year was 53.6 thousand tons, which is 11.5 times less than in 2021 (615.7 thousand tons). At the same time the import of scrap was 1.8 thousand tons, compared to 23 thousand tons in 2021.
Scrap supplies to steel companies in the country last year decreased by 73% compared to 2021 – to 895.7 thousand tons from 3 million 323.4 thousand tons.
“UAVtormet predicts a decrease in the procurement of scrap ferrous metals to 850 – 880 thousand tons this year. In addition, it is projected that in 2023 the supply of scrap metal to metal companies in the country will be reduced to 720-750 thousand tons. Scrap exports are expected to amount to 80-120 thousand tons. Steel production in 2023 will be 3.6-3.7 million tons.
The Swiss pharmaceutical company Acino has become a partner in a project to provide the frontline area and destroyed hospitals in the regions with state-of-the-art mobile hospitals to provide emergency care to the wounded.
Acino shipped 1600 packages of medicines from its own product portfolio to the pilot medical complex on wheels for a total of UAH 150 thousand. In particular, these are drugs used in neurology, psychiatry, cardiology and therapy.
The project was initiated by the Charitable Foundation for Reconstruction and Development of Ukraine, which plans to purchase 52 mobile hospitals. The cost of one such medical complex on wheels is 240 thousand euros. In total, 14 organizations both in Ukraine and abroad have joined the project.
The company plans to provide medicines to the next mobile hospitals within the framework of this project. This was stated by Yevhen Zaika, CEO of Acino in Ukraine, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Pharma Start, during the presentation of the project at the end of 2022 at the Parkovy Exhibition and Convention Center, Kyiv.
A mobile hospital is a specialized development that is a full-fledged hospital on wheels, equipped with the most modern medical equipment:
The mobile hospital has increased cross-country ability and its own generator, which allows it to operate completely autonomously. Two teams of medics can work in the mobile hospital at the same time and can save up to 100 lives a day, based on the “golden hour” principle. If necessary and subject to sufficient medical staffing, the hospital can provide care to more patients.
Acino has been supporting the people and the state since the first days of the full-scale war. Since February 24, the company has donated over UAH 67 million for humanitarian purposes. This includes more than 200 thousand packs of medicines to hospitals and hospitals and more than UAH 8 million to support the Armed Forces, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and charitable organizations. At the beginning of 2023, Acino was recognized by the President of Ukraine for supporting Ukraine and the Ukrainian people at a crucial moment.
ACINO, ARTEM HONCHARENKO, CHARITABLE FOUNDATION FOR RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF UKRAINE, YEVHEN ZAIKA
Last year thanks to the efforts of the association Ukrsadvindindprom and some Ukrainian wine producers, Ukraine after a 14-year break regained its membership in the International Organization of Vine and Wine (IOVW, International Organization of Vine and Wine).
On the 9-10th of March 2023 in France the General Assembly of IOVW took place, in which the representative from Ukraine, the head of the Public Association “The Association of Gardens, Winegrowers and Wine-makers of Ukraine” Volodymyr Pechko took part.
International Organization of Winegrowing and Winemaking is an intergovernmental organization, established according to the Treaty of April 3rd, 2001. IOVW is successor of the Intergovernmental Organisation – International Bureau of Vine and Wine (BIVW), set up according to an agreement of eight countries (France, Spain, Tunisia, Portugal, Hungary, Luxembourg, Greece and Italy) in Paris on November 29, 1924.
The organization provides recommendations to the wine-growing and wine-making industries, which are adopted by the European Community, thus emphasizing the influence of the IOWAV on the regulation and trade processes (EU countries produce about 70% of the world’s wine).
The organization’s main objectives are:
– The health benefits and quality of wine;
– protection of interests of the wine industry and creation of favorable market conditions;
– harmonization of standards and compliance of analysis methods;
– protection of geographical indications;
– guarantee of purity and origin of products;
– combating fraud and unfair competition.
Currently, Ukrainian scientists, including representatives of the scientific center “Tairov Institute of Viticulture and Winemaking” actively work in the committees of the IOVV NAAS of Ukraine.
According to IOVW, there are 47 countries in the world today that produce wine on an industrial scale. However, not all of these countries have individual states or regions that are specifically designated as wine producing. The top five largest wine-producing states include Italy, France, Spain, the United States and Argentina. These five countries account for more than half of the world’s wine production. It is worth noting that the ranking can change from year to year depending on factors such as weather conditions, yields and demand.
“According to historical data, until 1991, Ukraine was one of the largest wine-producing regions of Europe. At the same time, Ukrainian winemaking was integrated into the Soviet wine industry along with Georgia and Moldova. In the late 1980s, wine production in Ukraine peaked at about 120 million decaliters per year, which was about one-third of total wine production in the Soviet Union. By comparison, production in 2020 was about 35 million decaliters,” explained Volodymyr Pechko, head of the Ukrsadvinprom association.
He also reminded that in the first years of independence, huge wineries became uncompetitive and lost the market, which led to a crisis of the entire industry.
“In recent years, winemaking began to revive largely due to small wineries and wine tourism in our country. But everyone is now hamstrung by war, so the way out for all of us is to find new markets for our products,” Pechko stressed.
As of February 1, 2022, the total area of vine plantations in Ukraine by all categories of farms amounted to 34.0 thousand hectares, gross harvest of grapes – 257.5 thousand tons. However, after the outbreak of hostilities, almost a quarter of the area under vineyards are temporarily occupied or are in the war zone.
In turn, the deputy head of the association “Ukrsadvinprom” Maksim Urakin noted that Ukraine can produce and export a much larger volume of wine than today.
“In January 2023, Ukraine produced 422 thousand decaliters of wine, with about 328 thousand decaliters sold on the domestic market during the same period. And taking into account the fact that during winter months the production level is lower due to seasonal factor, the export potential of Ukrainian winemaking remains significant”, – said Urakin.
According to the expert, finding partners and entering new markets is not an easy thing to do as there is fierce competition in this segment.
“Most of the major wine producing countries support their producers and encourage them to export. Ukraine will not be able to establish itself as a major winemaking country without systematic government support for domestic producers and without the search for new markets and participation in exhibitions, forums and conferences. Situationally, the industry may also be helped by the fact that because of the hostilities, millions of our citizens were forced to go abroad, where they became local consumers. Including through them we can increase the export of our goods, including wine”, – says Urakin.
This year, representatives of Ukrsadvinprom association and leading Ukrainian winemakers are taking part in ProWein international exhibition on behalf of Ukraine.
This year the exhibition will take place from March 19 to 21. Ukrainian stand will feature products of 10 winemakers under the common brand Wines of Ukraine:
1. Beykush Winery (Nikolaev region)
2. Father’s Wine VB (Ternopil region)
3. Prince Trubetskoy Winery (Kherson region)
4. Chateau Chizay (Transcarpathian region)
5. Stakhovsky Wines (Transcarpathian region)
6. Biologist Craft Winery (Kyiv region)
7. Colonist Winery (Odessa region / Southern Bessarabia)
8. Villa Tinta (Odessa region / Southern Bessarabia)
9. My Wine by Eduard Gorodetsky (Odessa region)
10. 46 Parallel Wine Group (Odessa region).
International exhibition ProWein is one of the largest and most important wine and spirits exhibitions in the world, which is held annually in Dusseldorf, Germany. The event attracts thousands of exhibitors and visitors from all over the world, including wineries, wine merchants, sommeliers and industry professionals. ProWein is hosted by Messe Düsseldorf, the leading organizer of international trade fairs, and usually takes place over three days in March. A wide range of products, including wines, spirits, beer and soft drinks, as well as accessories such as glassware and wine storage solutions, are on display.
One of the key features of ProWein is an extensive program of seminars, tastings and master classes designed to showcase the latest trends and developments in the wine and spirits industry. These events are led by experts from around the world and cover a wide range of topics, from viticulture and winemaking to marketing and sales.
Interfax-Ukraine – information partner of the events
exhibition_wine, MOOVV, ProWein 2023, UKRSADVINPROM, URAKIN, WINE, wine_Ukraine, WINEMAKING, Wines of Ukraine, ПЕЧКО
