One of the largest grain market operators in Ukraine, Nibulon JV LLC, intends to focus on systematic demining of agricultural land and waterways in 2025, the agricultural holding’s press service reported on Facebook.
“First of all, we are going to work with the authorities to develop a new approach to creating arrays of plots for all stages of land clearance: from non-technical surveys to mechanized and manual demining. In addition, together with the demining community, we are working to improve mine action processes and increase the availability of technical inspection equipment, etc. All of this will make the demining process faster, more efficient and more accessible for Ukraine,” said Mykhailo Rizak, Director of Government Relations.
“Nibulon is also planning to expand the certification of its demining unit to a full cycle, including explosive ordnance disposal and underwater demining.
“We continue to invest in development and are ready to provide services to everyone,” said Rizak.
He emphasized that Nibulon is ready to continue demining Ukrainian agricultural land and waterways, but would like to receive the government support it has already earned.
“We draw the state’s attention to the fact that we have not yet received reimbursement for the demining projects we have already implemented,” he stated.
Nibulon JV LLC was established in 1991. Prior to the Russian military invasion, the grain trader had 27 transshipment terminals and crop reception complexes, capacity for simultaneous storage of 2.25 million tons of agricultural products, a fleet of 83 vessels (including 23 tugs), and owned the Mykolaiv Shipyard.
“Before the war, Nibulon cultivated 82 thousand hectares of land in 12 regions of Ukraine and exported agricultural products to more than 70 countries. In 2021, the grain trader exported the highest ever 5.64 million tons of agricultural products, reaching record volumes of supplies 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.
Nibulon’s losses due to Russia’s full-scale military invasion in 2022 exceeded $416 million.
Currently, the grain trader is operating at 32% of capacity, has created a special unit to clear agricultural land of mines, and was forced to move its headquarters from Mykolaiv to Kyiv.
More than half of the respondents plan to close because of old-new taxes
Opendatabot has conducted the largest study of the status and plans of individual entrepreneurs in Ukraine. Almost 32 thousand entrepreneurs took part in the survey. 27% of respondents plan to close in the near future. More than half of these businesses stop working due to a sharp increase in the tax burden. In December, 2 entrepreneurs closed for every 1 open business. For comparison, a year ago the situation was completely opposite: 4 new entrepreneurs accounted for 1 closure.
Opendatabot conducted a large-scale survey of Ukrainian entrepreneurs to find out what small and medium-sized businesses plan to do in the near future. The survey involved 31,694 respondents who said they were working as sole proprietors.
27% or 8621 surveyed entrepreneurs plan to close their business in the near future. 2297 or 7% planned to close this year. Another 20%, or 6324 participants, said they planned to stop their business next year.
More than half of those who plan to close – namely 62% – decided to close because of tax increases. Another 19% of entrepreneurs are shutting down due to business problems. It is worth noting that currently, due to a large-scale attack by pro-Russian hackers on state registries, closing a business is either very difficult or impossible.
The majority of the surveyed entrepreneurs work in retail (24.6%), and another 21% work in IT.
Since the law on the introduction of the military tax for small and medium-sized businesses was signed, 2 new businesses have closed for every 1 new one. Thus, 24,497 entrepreneurs ceased operations between the time the President signed the law and December 17. During the same period, 2.2 times fewer new businesses were opened: 10 947. For comparison, in the same period last year, 4 new fops accounted for only 1 closing.
Opendatabot asked the Chairman of the Committee on Finance, Taxation and Customs Policy Danylo Hetmantsev for a comment. However, at the time of publication, we did not receive a response.
https://opendatabot.ua/analytics/fops-pool-result
closure of individual entrepreneurs, Individual entrepreneurs
During the full-scale war, the staff of Kharkivoblenergo JSC decreased by 20%, which the company replenishes through various forms of training, Energoreforma reports .
This was announced by the company’s HR Director Serhiy Vovk during the first meeting of the Energy Development League of Ukraine in Kyiv, dedicated to personnel in the energy sector.
“We are a frontline zone, along the entire perimeter of which there are constant hostilities. As a result, a significant number of employees have left the region and we are facing a staff shortage. Out of an estimated 6,000 employees, we lost 1,200, meaning that the team was reduced by 20%. As a result, today we are in demand for absolutely all field-based specialties, including, in particular, electricians and cable network maintenance specialists,” said Vovk.
According to him, Kharkivoblenergo trains its personnel in the format of dual education under signed agreements with Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute, Kharkiv National University of Radio Electronics, and the company’s own resources.
According to Vovk, in 2023, almost 1,500 employees of the company were trained, including 1,000 specialists at the Personnel Training Center and more than 400 people at specialized educational institutions. In the first 10 months of 2024, nearly 1,500 more employees have undergone relevant advanced training.
“An important problem is the significant deterioration in the educational level of schoolchildren and students after the transition to distance learning. In addition, a huge number of school and college-age children have left the country. We have lost a large pool of future specialists that we need to catch up with. Therefore, we are actively looking for employees through the State Employment Service and social networks,” explained the HR Director.
He added that the company hires for certain positions even without work experience.
“If a person is ready to work, he or she undergoes training, passes exams, and then can take a higher position than the one we offer them at the beginning,” Vovk said.
As noted during the meeting of the Energy Development League, the labor market in the energy sector will require, according to various estimates, 60 to 80 thousand new employees in the next 10 years, while current educational opportunities allow for training only 10 thousand specialists.
“When I talk to energy professionals, I hear about the enormous demand for already trained specialists who can quickly adapt and work actively. One of the important ways to train such specialists is dual education, but it needs support from the state. It is necessary to quickly remove any legislative obstacles and facilitate procedures, because future energy specialists should study at universities and work at enterprises at the same time, gaining experience and receiving a salary,” said Maksym Urakin, Development Director of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency and founder of the NGO Club of Experts .
For reference: The League of Energy Development of Ukraine (LERU) is a non-governmental organization founded by journalists and communicators Oleksandr Holizdra and Serhiy Shevchenko to improve the efficiency of communications and dialogue between all stakeholders of the energy market.
Energoreforma, Kharkivoblenergo, SHEVCHENKO, URAKIN, Vovk, ГОЛІЗДРА
Vehicle manufacturer Etalon Corporation has released a prototype of the Malva Electro A08611 electric city bus, which has now passed all tests and is being prepared for certification, said Volodymyr Butko, president of Etalon Corporation.
“We want to be in the European Union, and electric buses are an environmental requirement, so we need to move with them, make technological changes in production and design. This is our first electric bus model, and we believe that it will be in demand,” Butko said during a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine on Thursday.
At the same time, he noted that although tenders for electric buses are currently held mainly for 12-meter vehicles, he believes they will not be as efficient as 9.5-10-meter ones. “And this is supported by those who started producing electric buses before us,” Butko supported his position.
According to the presentation of the electric bus, the electric bus was created on the basis of the Malva city diesel bus, which debuted last year, in cooperation with the company Informservice (Moldova), which supplies high-voltage traction equipment. The electric bus has a range of up to 200 km.
The main difference from the basic bus model is the superstructure on the roof of the electric bus, where the batteries are located.
The electric bus is designed for 24 seats (plus two folding seats) and 29 standing seats, and there is also a place for a wheelchair.
The exterior lighting is LED, manufactured by European companies. There is also a possibility of installing a liquid heater for the passenger compartment, which runs on Euro 6 diesel fuel.
“This solution makes it possible to better adapt to the conditions of winter operation in Ukraine and provides a longer mileage on a single charge,” the video presentation says.
Among the external features is a door for connecting a charger, which is typical for all electric buses.
“The characteristics of the new electric bus generally correspond to those of foreign analogues, and their further improvement will be achieved through the use of the latest batteries and traction drives, as well as some traditional units and components for electric buses,” the presentation says.
Speaking about the price of an electric bus, Butko noted that it is about three times higher than the cost of a diesel bus.
“The price of a diesel bus is about 100-110 thousand euros (excluding VAT), and an electric bus will be three times more expensive. But if we compare it with European analogues, for example, Polish Solaris or Turkish Otocar with almost the same functionality and length will cost EUR530-550 thousand (excluding VAT). That is, we understand that electric transport is not a cheap story,” said the president of the corporation.
He also cited the prices of trolleybuses for comparison: while the corporation sells ordinary 12-meter trolleybuses for EUR300 thousand and autonomous trolleybuses for EUR400 thousand, the Czech Republic sells Skoda trolleybuses for more than EUR700 thousand (all excluding VAT).
“That is, we have, let’s say, a gap due to the probably lower cost of electricity than in Europe, lower wages… And we probably don’t have the profit margin that they put into their production and sales. Ours is 10%, and that’s still good,” Butko summarized.
Etalon Corporation comprises 12 enterprises, including Chernihiv Automobile Plant (ChAZ), which produces buses of various classes and trolleybuses. The main areas of activity are vehicle manufacturing, mechanical engineering, and warehouse logistics.
The analysis of key macroeconomic indicators of Ukraine and the global economy for January-September 2024 is based on official data from the State Statistics Service of Ukraine, the NBU, the IMF, the World Bank, and the UN, on the basis of which Maksim Urakin, PhD in Economics, founder of the Experts Club Information and Analytical Center, presented an analysis of macroeconomic trends in Ukraine and the world. The key aspects of the report include the dynamics of gross domestic product (GDP), inflation, unemployment, foreign trade and public debt of Ukraine, as well as global macroeconomic trends.
Macroeconomic indicators of Ukraine
In January-September 2024, Ukraine’s economy showed a slight growth. According to the Ministry of Economy, real GDP growth in July was 2.7% in annualized terms, which is better than June’s 1.1%, but worse than May’s 3.7%. In the third quarter of 2024, growth may exceed the previously forecasted 3.1%.
“The Ukrainian economy continues to move forward despite the difficult challenges caused by the war and external economic factors. Our key task remains to maintain stable growth and attract investment in strategic sectors of the economy,” – said Maksim Urakin, founder of the Experts Club information and analytical center.
However, rising inflation remains a challenge for the economy. In September, annual inflation reached 8.6%, accelerating from 7.5% in August. Consumer prices increased by 1.5% month-on-month, after 0.6% in August and zero in July. The National Bank of Ukraine has revised its inflation forecast for 2024, increasing it from 8.5% to 9.7%.
“Inflation remains one of the key challenges. High price growth rates significantly reduce the purchasing power of the population, which creates additional risks for the economy,” Urakin emphasized.
The negative balance of Ukraine’s foreign trade in goods increased by 5.9% over the first nine months of the year and reached $20.382 billion, indicating high imports and insufficient export growth.
“The increase in the negative trade balance signals the need to revise export support strategies. Only by developing the competitiveness of national production can we achieve balanced economic growth,” Urakin said.
Ukraine’s state budget revenues in September dropped to UAH 122.9 billion after a sharp increase in August to UAH 387.4 billion, driven by grants from the US and EU. This underscores the importance of external assistance to support the budget in times of war.
Ukraine’s international reserves decreased by 8.1% in September, reaching $38.9 billion. The main reason for this was a decline in international revenues amid debt repayments.
Global economic situation
The International Monetary Fund maintained its forecast for global economic growth at 3.2% in 2024. At the same time, the US economy grew by 2.8% in the third quarter amid a 3.7% increase in consumer spending. The European Union’s economy shows more modest results: the growth forecast for 2024 has been lowered to 0.9%, and in the Eurozone – to 0.8%.
“The global economy is facing a number of challenges, including a slowdown in China and high interest rates. However, the key problem remains the persistent price pressure and geopolitical instability,” emphasized Maksim Urakin.
The Chinese economy grew by 4.6% in the third quarter, but the growth forecast for 2024 was lowered to 4.8%. India continues to show stable growth at 7%, and Brazil has improved its performance to 3%.
“The global economy is now balancing between recovery and new risks. Forecasts for the coming years depend on the resolution of geopolitical conflicts and the ability of global leaders to stabilize the economy,” added Maksim Urakin.
The economic indicators of Ukraine and the world for the first nine months of 2024 show a contradictory picture. GDP growth and positive signals from global markets are combined with inflationary risks and an imbalance in foreign trade. The global economy is also under pressure from numerous uncertainties.
“It is important for Ukraine to focus on structural reforms that stimulate export growth and attract foreign investment. Only through the sustainable development of key industries can long-term economic stability be ensured,” – summarized Maksim Urakin.
You can learn more about current economic trends in the video on the Experts Club YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grE5wjPaItI
