KYIV. June 24 (Interfax-Ukraine) – PJSC State Food and Grain Corporation of Ukraine over the 11 months of the 2015/2016 marketing year (MY, July-June) exported more than 30,000 tonnes of flour, which is almost twice as much compared to the same period last season.
“According to experts, the corporation ranks second among exporters of wheat flour from Ukraine,” the press service said citing director of the marketing and sales department Viacheslav Tsehelnyk.
According to him, the corporation plans in the 2016/2017 MY to ship about 55,000 tonnes of flour to foreign markets and intends to become a leader in exports of Ukrainian flour.
“We continue to expand the geography of supplies to the Middle East, the CIS and Asia. We should also mention the prospect of further work with the member states of the African continent,” the expert said.
As reported, the corporation plans by 2019 to increase exports of flour by 9 times, to 280,000 tonnes, grains by 1.8 times, to 5.17 million tonnes. In 2015 the corporation exported 32,000 tonnes of flour, in 2016 plans to reach 60,000 tonnes.
KYIV. June 24 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The Board of Directors of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has approved a senior secured long-term loan of up to $20 million to finance the modernization, energy efficiency and environmental improvements of Astarta’s existing sugar processing plants.
The decision was made on June 22, 2016.
The EBRD is the largest international financial investor in Ukraine. As of January 1, 2016, the bank had a total cumulative commitment of EUR 12 billion in 355 projects in the country.
Astarta Group is one of the largest vertically integrated agricultural companies in Ukraine, operating nine sugar plants, around 250,000 hectares of leased arable land, as well as dairy farms and engaged in soybean processing.
KYIV. June 24 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine’s Health Ministry seeks to intensify cooperation with the World Bank in the healthcare reform sphere under a joint project Serving People, Improving Health Project being realized in Ukraine since 2015 in eight regions.
The press service of the ministry reported that the issue was discussed at a meeting of acting Health Minister Viktor Shafransky with representatives of the World Bank on Wednesday.
The sides agreed the tighter meeting schedule to discuss the problematic issues and joint actions under the project, intensified work in the regions, attraction of World Bank representatives to working groups of the key directions of reforms.
“We intend to accelerate the implementation of the project at the central and regional levels alike. It is important to plan and coordinate actions between all sides, clearly set tasks and terms and control their implementation. The result is important, not the process,” Shafransky said.
In March 2015, the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved a $214.73 million loan provided by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) to implement Serving People, Improving Health Project. The project will seek to develop medical infrastructure and improve the quality of health services in eight regions across the country: Vinnytsia, Volyn, Dnipropetrovsk, Zakarpattia, Zaporizhia, Lviv, Poltava and Rivne regions.
KYIV. June 24 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has said that all legislative and regulation base should be approved by the end of 2016 and the Energy Efficiency Fund is launched from 2017.
The fund would help to send a part of subsidies to energy saving and increase investment in this sector and reduce subsidies in the future.
“Our task is to transform subsidies into investment in energy efficiency,” he said, opening the Ukrainian Energy Efficiency Forum on Thursday.
He recalled that from 2014 the government launched the mechanism of ‘warm’ credits via state-run banks. They allow citizens to receive partial (from 30% to 70%) compensation for the cost of construction materials and energy equipment in energy efficiency projects. He said that with around 300,000 Ukrainian citizens invested in these projects, investment reached some UAH 3 billion, and the 2016 national budget foresees UAH 700 million for this purpose and this could be not enough.
Groysman said that the specifics of the new tool that would be launched via the Energy Efficiency Fund, would be sending a part of subsidies to energy saving.
The prime minister said that the energy efficiency sector could create some 50,000 jobs and strengthen Ukraine’s energy independence.
The prime minister pointed out the importance of transparent work of the fund and curbing any corrupt influence in the energy sector. In this regard, he called on Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Regional Development, Construction Housing and Utilities of Ukraine Hennadiy Zubko to involve experts and civil society in the creation of the fund and its supervisory board.
The prime minister also expressed hope that in synergy with Ukrainian MPs it will be possible to work out the necessary legislation that could be approved by parliament no later than the third or fourth quarters of this year. It will enable the fund’s operation from 2017.
KYIV. June 23 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The Eastern European Energy Efficiency and Environment Partnership Fund (E5P) will allocate EUR 60 million for the implementation of energy efficiency projects in Ukraine.
“The E5P Board of Directors has approved the allocation of EUR 60 million,” E5P Fund Chairman Anders Lund said at a briefing in Kyiv on Wednesday.
He added that EUR 15 million will be spent on the implementation of the IQ Energy program, which is aimed at making residential houses more energy efficient.
Lund noted that the program is designed until 2019, but may be extended.
As reported, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) intends to provide EUR 75 million to Ukraine for Ukraine Residential Energy Efficiency Financing Facility (IQ Energy) program.
KYIV. June 23 (Interfax-Ukraine) – President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has signed the law on amendments to some legislative acts of Ukraine concerning the abolition of mandatory state registration of foreign investment (No. 1390-VIII).
According to the presidential press service, the law provides for the creation of more favorable conditions for attracting investment by simplifying the procedure.
“We introduce a declarative principle of state registration of investments, according to which presentation of statistical reports on foreign investments will be carried out by enterprises with foreign investment and banking institutions,” the report says.
The introduction of these changes will bring Ukrainian legislation closer to EU standards, simplify the procedure for attracting foreign investment and help restore the country’s economy.
As reported, on May 31, 2016 the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine with 259 votes adopted as a whole the bill on amendments to some legislative acts of Ukraine concerning the abolition of mandatory state registration of foreign investments (No. 2763).
