In the marketing season 2024-2025 Ukraine exported to foreign markets 16.8 thousand tons of apples worth $10.1 million, EastFruit reports. This figure was 64% lower than a year earlier, when export volumes reached 47 thousand tons. At the same time, the average selling price increased and amounted to about $600 per ton.
From July 2024 to June 2025 Ukraine also imported 18.2 thousand tons of apples, which led to a negative balance in the segment of foreign trade. Almost the entire import volume (18 thousand tons) came in the first half of 2025.
The main buyers of Ukrainian apples were:
United Arab Emirates – 2.9 thousand tons,
Saudi Arabia – 2.9 thousand tons,
Uzbekistan – 1.5 thousand tons,
Turkey – 1.4 thousand tons,
Sweden – 0.9 thousand tons.
The entry of Ukrainian producers into new markets is separately noted. In March 2025, after negotiations with Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) approved a program for exporting fresh apples from Ukraine.
Ukraine has traditionally been among the largest apple producers in Eastern Europe, but export volumes remain volatile. According to EastFruit, the current decline is due to the fall in the harvest and the reduced competitiveness of Ukrainian apples in key markets in the Middle East. At the same time, the opening of new destinations may lay the foundation for a recovery of export potential in the coming years.
On Monday, September 29, the KFC restaurant chain opened its first restaurant in Ukraine with a menu based entirely on plant-based alternatives to meat at the Blockbuster Mall in Kyiv.
According to the company’s press service, the dishes offered are based on mycoprotein, an ingredient derived from a natural mushroom that is rich in protein and fiber, contains no cholesterol, and has a significantly lower carbon footprint compared to animal meat. The recipes also use dairy products and eggs, so the line is positioned as vegetarian rather than vegan.
The menu includes veggie strips, veggie burgers, veggie twisters, rice boxes, and salads with veggie strips. Some dishes are served in special “green” packaging.
The new restaurant design features green accents instead of the traditional red ones. The company emphasizes that the availability of the plant-based line across the entire KFC chain will depend on consumer activity at the pilot restaurant. KFC has been operating in Ukraine since 2012, and the Ukrainian KFC chain currently has over 60 restaurants.
One of the largest operators in the Ukrainian grain market, Nibulon LLC, invested $2 million in the digitization of production processes in 2024, which was directed toward the creation of a digital copy of the elevator and a mobile application, according to the company’s owner and CEO Andriy Vadatursky.
“We have about 100 people (working in the field of digitalization – IF-U). We recruited many of them from the market and provided them with work. We have detailed plans for the implementation of projects for three years. We know the detailed plan for the month, for the year, and we know the prospects for three years. We also plan to provide services specifically for the projects we are doing for Nibulon. We believe that if it is necessary for Nibulon, then it will also be necessary for the market,” he said at the Forbes Agro conference in Kyiv last Friday.
Among the main projects in which funds were invested, Vadatursky named a digital copy of the elevator, in particular, the purchase and installation of modern equipment that determines the quality of grain. The software is installed at all of the grain trader’s elevators and is connected to a common network. Thanks to this, responsibility at the elevators has been strengthened, the quality of raw materials is clearly determined, the influence of the human factor has been minimized, and reporting has been streamlined.
In addition, Nibulon has developed a mobile application—a company account where you can receive news, prices, information about the location of transport, the quality of grain in it, funds received, discounts, bonuses, etc.
According to Vadatursky, this application will be refined and transformed into an information platform in the near future.
Before the war, Nibulon cultivated 82,000 hectares of land in 12 regions of Ukraine and exported agricultural products to more than 70 countries around the world. In 2021, the grain trader exported a record 5.64 million tons of agricultural products and delivered record volumes to foreign markets in August (0.7 million tons), in the fourth quarter (1.88 million tons), and in the second half of the year (3.71 million tons).
After the war began, the company was forced to move its headquarters from Mykolaiv to Kyiv.
Number of dead and wounded civilians in Ukraine from 24.02.2022 till 31.05.2025 un data
Source: Open4Business.com.ua
In January-June 2025, PJSC Insurance Company VUSO (Kyiv) collected UAH 2.129 billion in gross premiums, which is 52.6% more than in the same period of 2024, net premiums grew by 54.18% to UAH 1.886 billion, while net earned premiums increased by 40.98% to UAH 1.764 billion.
These figures are provided in the information from Standard-Rating on the confirmation of the company’s financial stability rating at “uaAA” on the national scale for the specified period.
According to the data on the rating agency’s website, the insurer’s revenues from individuals for the specified period increased by 55.36% to UAH 1.374 billion, and from reinsurers – by 17.67% to UAH 21.652 million. Thus, the share of individuals in the insurer’s gross premiums for the first half of 2025 was 64.54%, and the share of reinsurers was 1.02%.
RA notes that accrued reinsurance premiums transferred to reinsurance for the first half of 2025 increased by 41.37% compared to the same period in 2024, to UAH 243.143 million. The reinsurers’ share in insurance premiums decreased by 0.91 percentage points to 11.42%.
In the first six months of 2025, VUSO Insurance Company paid out UAH 787.863 million to its clients, which is 9.08% higher than the volume of insurance payments and reimbursements for the same period in 2024. The payout ratio decreased by 14.77 percentage points to 37.01%.
Based on the results for January-June 2025, operating profit increased by 34.13% compared to the same period in 2024, to UAH 135.494 million, while net profit grew 2.95 times to UAH 102.332 million.
As of July 1, 2025, the company’s assets grew by 20.21% to UAH 2.305 billion, equity increased by 7.59% to UAH 813.212 million, liabilities increased by 28.43% to UAH 1.491 billion, cash and cash equivalents increased by 24.43% to UAH 944.106 million.
According to RA data, as of the beginning of the third quarter of 2025, the company had a capitalization level of 54.52% and a cash coverage ratio of 63.30%. In addition, as of the reporting date, IC “VUSO” had formed a portfolio of investments in government bonds in the amount of UAH 326.025 million, which together covered 85.16% of the company’s liabilities. In addition, the balance of funds in centralized insurance reserve funds (MTIBU) amounted to UAH 522.123 million, which also had a positive impact on the company’s liquidity.
VUSO Insurance Company was founded in 2001. It has 50 insurance licenses, 34 representative offices, 2 branches, and more than 20 agency sales centers throughout Ukraine, with over 700 professionals. It is a member of the MTIBU, NASU, and the Nuclear Insurance Pool.
China will launch a new K visa category for young professionals in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) who will be able to enter, reside, and work in the country without a mandatory job offer. The program will be effective from October 1, 2025.
The new decision does not require a sponsoring employer — applicants for a K visa are not required to provide an invitation or contract with a Chinese company when applying.
The authorities also promise more flexible conditions of stay — multiple entries, long validity, and a simplified application process.
The innovation is aimed at attracting young foreign talent, especially in the context of the tightening of US visa policy and the proposed $100,000 fee for H-1B visas.
According to media reports, some young STEM professionals are eligible for housing subsidies and signing bonuses of up to 5 million yuan (~$702,000) as part of a comprehensive recruitment policy.
The United States recently raised the fee for an H-1B visa to $100,000, creating additional barriers for foreign professionals. The Chinese government, on the contrary, is trying to enhance its attractiveness amid competition for talent.
A Chinese government document dated August 14, 2025, states that as part of the reform of regulations governing the entry and exit of foreigners, a K visa will be introduced as a new category for young professionals in the fields of science and technology.
Experts note that this initiative is part of China’s strategy to strengthen international competition in the fields of AI, quantum technology, and biotechnology.
The details of the selection criteria (age, minimum education, experience requirements) remain vague.
There is no clarity on issues of family sponsorship, permanent residence, or transition to other visa regimes.
