Presidential Press Secretary Serhiy Nikiforov has announced a major conference on February 25 on the future path of Ukraine, which will be attended by “all top speakers from the government, the military and political leadership, and the Prime Minister.”
“On February 25, we are preparing something special. It will be a conference, an honest conversation about our path forward, our path in 2024. All the top speakers from the government, the military and political leadership, the Prime Minister, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, the Security Service, the GUR, the Ministry of Strategic Industries will be there. The first lady will be there, the Ministry of Infrastructure, the Presidential Office and, of course, the president himself,” said presidential spokesman Sergei Nikiforov on the air of a nationwide telethon on Wednesday evening.
“It will be an honest conversation about our way forward, our way in 2024,” Nikiforov said.
He said that “we will talk about various aspects of Ukraine’s future, including the future of the army and its development, the introduction of modern technologies, our integration into the EU and NATO, what has already been done, security guarantees. We will talk about mental and physical health. We will talk about business support. We will talk about many aspects of the country’s life…”
“Following this conference, the President of Ukraine will take the floor and hold a press conference. He will outline his vision of the topics and answer the main questions,” Nikiforov added.
Former US President Donald Trump has named six people who could become his vice presidential candidates in his bid for the presidency, Fox News reported on Wednesday.
“To be honest, all of these people are good. They’re good, they’re reliable,” he said on Tuesday, speaking about the people on his shortlist in an interview with the TV channel.
The list includes three of Trump’s former rivals in the Republican primaries – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Senator Tim Scott and entrepreneur Vivek Ramasavamy. Trump also named South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, House member Byron Donalds, and former House member Tulsi Gabbard, who left the Democratic Party in 2022, as potential vice presidential candidates.
Fox News notes that Trump often makes such statements without preparation, and this list may not be entirely accurate. In particular, the TV channel doubts that DeSantis can become a candidate for vice president, as the politicians have repeatedly criticized each other over the past year.
The internal party elections will end in June. The Republican Party convention, which will announce the presidential candidate, will be held in July.
The US presidential election is scheduled for November 5, 2024.
The State Property Fund has completed the valuation of the Ukraina Hotel and plans to hold an auction for its privatization in late summer 2024, and for the Ocean Plaza shopping mall in the second half of the year, Vitaliy Koval, the head of the SPF, said in an interview with Mind.
“We have already completed the valuation of the hotel, which amounts to UAH 1.039 billion excluding VAT. We are now preparing for the auction, which we plan to hold in late summer, maybe even in the third quarter,” he said.
According to the SPF head, foreign operators are interested in privatizing the Ukraina Hotel, in particular, as they are considering upgrading it to a five-star hotel.
In addition, according to him, more than three bidders are considering participation in the auction for the privatization of the Ocean Plaza shopping center, and the Fund has received inquiries from investment funds and development companies.
As reported, the Ukraina Hotel is a state-owned enterprise managed by the SPF. It has 363 rooms, six conference halls, and meeting rooms. There is a parking lot for 80 cars and a shelter with a separate auditorium for 50 people. At the same time, the hotel’s debt is over UAH 45 million.
Ocean Plaza was opened in Kyiv in December 2012 at 176 Antonovycha Street. Its total area is 165 thousand square meters. Investments in the facility amounted to approximately $300 million. UDP and K.A.N. Development LLC acted as partners in the development of the project.
The mall was sold to Arkady Rotenberg’s Russian TPS Real Estate in 2012. Later, in 2019, Ukrainian businessman Vasyl Khmelnytsky indirectly acquired a 33.5% stake in Ocean Plaza through UPD Holdings Limited. In 2021, he sold his stake to entrepreneur Andriy Ivanov. The deal was finalized in the summer of 2023.
In June 2023, the Cabinet of Ministers transferred a 66.65% stake in the authorized capital of Lybid Investment Union LLC, which owns the mall, to the SPFU for further privatization.
Export sales of Ukrainian wheat are growing, with more than 2 million tons contracted since the beginning of February, which could be a record supply for the season.
According to the analytical cooperative “Start”, created within the framework of the All-Ukrainian Agrarian Council (AAC), 1.4 million tons of wheat have already been sold in March.
“Traders say that Indonesia is very actively involved in purchases of Ukrainian feed wheat. This Asian country has sky-high prices in the domestic market and is interested in importing grain. The demand price from Indonesia is $260-265/ton CIF,” the analysts said, adding that it is very profitable to export Ukrainian wheat to Indonesia.
According to them, the “fly in the ointment” in these plans is the conflict in the Red Sea, where there is a high risk of shelling of the merchant fleet. This is still a systemic problem that negatively affects trade in the Black and Mediterranean Seas. The risk is holding back Ukrainian traders from fixing their positions in this direction.
“There are expectations in the market that in the second half of March the passage of ships through the Red Sea may stop completely. A logistical solution would be to detour ships by sea through Africa, but this will raise the cost of freight by $10-12 per ton,” Pusk said.
In addition, experts noted that Ukrainian wheat continues to be the cheapest on most international markets.
Last week, Ukraine sold wheat with a protein content of 12.5% to Egypt for $224 per tonne with delivery to the country. For comparison, Russian wheat cost $245 on an FOB basis. Ukrainian wheat is very cheap compared to other grains in the EU, Egypt and Turkey. The trade tries to keep prices low to make it worthwhile to trade on many bases. Price gaps are large, which keeps the CPT market at low levels. Nevertheless, more and more sellers are coming forward on FOB basis for wheat, with many farmers willing to sell at $195 per tonne in the Danube ports. At the same time, on CPT terms, wheat costs $175-188 per ton, and by the end of the week, the price tags may lose another $2 per ton, according to the analytical department of Pusk.
Corteva Agriscience, an international agricultural research company, increased organic sales of sunflower seeds and winter rapeseed by 30% and 80%, respectively, in 2023 compared to 2022, its press service reports.
According to the press release, despite the reduction of corn acreage in Ukraine due to the military actions, Corteva increased its presence in the farms that continued to grow this legume.
The company’s sales growth was driven by an effective direct model of cooperation with farmers, an extensive network of sales agents and representatives, and comprehensive agronomic support for farmers throughout Ukraine. In addition, Corteva has partnered with the Howard G. Buffett Foundation to provide additional rapeseed, corn and sunflower seeds for planting to small Ukrainian farmers in the affected areas, the company said.
Corteva also reported that, despite the overall decline in the crop protection market in Ukraine, the company’s organic sales in 2023 increased by 13% compared to last year. At the same time, the demand for Corteva insecticides doubled compared to 2022.
“Such results reflect the company’s focus on providing farmers with the latest and most advanced products to increase agricultural productivity in Ukraine, as declared in the joint declaration between Corteva Agriculture and the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine on deepening and further developing cooperation for food security in Ukraine and the world,” the statement said.
“Almost two years after the start of the full-scale war, we at Corteva have been working side by side with Ukrainian farmers to help them meet the new challenges they face. We have transformed the company’s work in accordance with the current conditions and learned to work in marathon mode. Farmers consider us to be their reliable partners, which is evidenced by the fact that the number of customers remains unchanged despite the overall market contraction. Our team is doing everything possible, demonstrating extraordinary dynamics in 2024,” said Oleksandr Dmytriyev, Corteva Agriscience’s business manager in Ukraine.
As reported, the world’s leading agrochemical company’s operating EBITDA in 2023 increased by 5% year-on-year, while operating profit per share increased by 1% over the same period.
Corteva Agriscience forecasts that in 2024 its net sales will be in the range of $17.4-17.7 billion and operating EBITDA in the range of $3.5-3.7 billion.
Corteva Agriculture is a global agricultural company. It offers comprehensive solutions to maximize yields and profitability. It has more than 150 research facilities and more than 65 active ingredients in its portfolio.
The company’s presence in Ukraine includes the headquarters in Kyiv, a research center in Liubarky (Kyiv region) and a seed production complex in Stasi (Poltava region).
In April 2022, the company decided to leave the Russian market due to the full-scale war against Ukraine unleashed by Russia.
Biopharma (Kyiv) plans to open a biology school on July 1 in Bila Tserkva (Kyiv region), where the company’s main production facilities are located, said Konstantin Efimenko, president and co-owner of the company, member of the Council for Support of Entrepreneurship under Martial Law (Council of Seven).
“Our goal is to popularize biology at school; create a base for preparing the Ukrainian team for participation in the International Biology Olympiads; organize a place for the practical round of the All-Ukrainian Biology Olympiad; become one of the leaders at the International Olympiads,” Yefymenko wrote on Facebook on Wednesday.
According to him, by July 1, Biopharma plans to create a team of 10 best teachers in various fields of biology, form classes for theoretical and practical classes, and fill them with the necessary equipment, including pH meters, systems for the isolation of RNA/DNA nucleic acids, biological, digital, digital microscopes, immunohistochemistry equipment, CO2 incubators, gas and liquid chromatographs, Dewar cryostorage, etc.
It is expected that classes at the Bioschool will be available for 30-40 best biology students in grades 8-11, and scholarships will be provided for teachers who have taught the winners of the All-Ukrainian Olympiad and winners.
The Bioschool project aims to create a school biology classroom as a product with subsequent installation in Ukrainian schools, as well as online lectures for free access.
