KYIV. Feb 5 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine since the beginning of 2015-2016 agricultural year (July-June) as of February 3, 2016 had exported 23.85 million tonnes of grain, including 11.066 million tonnes of wheat, 3.94 million tonnes of barley and 8.691 million tonnes of corn.
President of the Ukrainian Grain Association Volodymyr Klymenko said at a press conference in Kyiv on Thursday that 180,000 tonnes of wheat flour and 1,600 tonnes of other flour were exported. Exports of grain and flour reached 24.092 million tonnes.
Director of Millers of Ukraine association Rodion Rybchinsky said that Ukrainian millers received a first quota from the EU that is separate from grain traders.
“Yesterday first a Ukrainian enterprise officially received a quota of 5,000 tonnes to export flour to the EU without duties,” he said.
Rybchinsky said that there is a common quota for supplies of wheat and wheat flour to the EU of 900,000 tonnes, which grain traders used by the middle of summer without millers. Before 2016, flour almost was not shipped to Europe.
“There was a certain scheme for operation. Several companies worked out technological and logistic processes and this year received first quotas… Now three more companies are passing the same process to receive the quota of some 15,000-17,000 tonnes,” he said.
Rybchinsky said that despite a decline in flour production in 2015 by 24%, exports are growing. If in 2014 245,000 tonnes of flour was exported, in 2015 304,500 tonnes worth $70 million was exported.
However, the general average cost of exports contracts fell by 20% compared to 2014.
The largest importers of Ukrainian flour are China, North Korea (via China), Israel, Moldova, Indonesia, Palestine, South Korea, Syria, Panama and Philippines.
“If Israel and Moldova are permanent importers of Ukrainian flour, North Korea, Panama, Philippines and Indonesia are considerably boosting exports – by 1.5-2 times compared to 2014,” he said.
He said that in 2014 Ukraine exported flour to 44 countries and in 2015 to 69 countries.
KYIV. Feb 5 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The Ukroboronprom State Concern is working on a project to create an unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) complex, the press service of the Ukroboronprom reported on Thursday, citing Deputy Director for Aircraft Building and Production Yuriy Paschenko.
“We’ve proposed to the Defense Ministry to create UCAVs that are able to destroy an enemy’s tank, for example,” he said.
He said that the main task of the UCAV will be delivery of the missile to the target, while the UCAV could be also used by intelligence.
Depending on the combat task, the UCAV will be equipped with various combinations of missiles and electronic equipment, Paschenko said.
The design of the new UCAV will be created in 2016 and designer’s documents in 2017, the Ukroboronprom said.
KYIV. Feb 5 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Lozova Machinery, the agricultural machinery brand manufactured at Lozova Forging-Mechanical Plant (Kharkiv region), plans to start bulk production of the Harvester trailer with a dump body as part of joint production created with one of the leading manufacturers of trailer for farmers in Britain Larrington Trailers.
The press service of the UPEC Group, which incorporates Lozova Forging-Mechanical Plant, reported that the two-axle trailer with a carrying capacity of 18 tonnes will transport and unload grain, edible roots, ensilage and other cargos. The trailers can be used with 150 hp and more powerful tractors.
The Harvester will be the first in the line of trailers which production will start in Ukraine in the future.
The first sample made in Ukraine will be exhibited at the Grain Tech Expo 2016 in Kyiv on February 10.
KYIV. Feb 5 (Interfax-Ukraine) – KME Germany GmbH & Co. KG, a European industrial group with leading positions on the global copper and copper alloy products, the co-founder of KME-Magma Service Ukraine LLC (Mariupol, Donetsk region), has resumed investment in the development of the joint venture in Ukraine that repairs casting-mold machines’ parts.
The Illichivets newspaper reported that German investors resume cooperation with Mariupol: at present new equipment is being actively installed at KME-Magma Service Ukraine. The equipment to repair details of ingot-forming equipment was shipped from Germany.
The joint venture was created in 2013 by Mariupol-based Magma LLC, an engineering company, and КМЕ Group. Only three years later foreign investors came to Mariupol.
German partners visited Magma LLC on February 2.
“We consider Mariupol as the steel region which is famous by steel production in the world and which should continue developing,” Marketing Director at KME Norbert Folkman.
He said that the fact that the German group decided to invest in the Mariupol company is a signal that Europeans think that the situation here will develop positively.
Folkman said that over EUR 2 million has been invested in the project and this is only the start.
The new line at KME-Magma Service Ukraine will be launched in May and 20 places of work will be created there.
KYIV. Feb 4 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The Verkhovna Rada has ratified an agreement between the Ukrainian government and the European Commission on Ukraine’s joining the Creative Europe programme.
A total of 244 lawmakers backed bill No. 0077 on Wednesday.
According to the explanatory note to the bill, the Creative Europe programme is the European Union programme for the cultural and creative sectors and Ukraine and the European Union will cooperate in the MEDIA sub-programme.
The implementation of the agreement envisages the creation of the national bureau of the Creative Europe programme in Ukraine. The bureau will accompany the implementation of the program in Ukraine, analyze the impact of the programme on development of the Ukrainian cultural and creative sectors, conduct events aimed at spreading knowledge about modern trends in the Creative Europe programme and other EU programmes (conferences, seminars, training and other events).
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Culture Viacheslav Kyrylenko said presenting the bill in the parliament, soon a tender to select a head of the bureau will be announced.
KYIV. Feb 4 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Some agricultural companies invested billions of hryvnias in the development of facilities at Ukrainian seaports in 2015, according to a report of the Cabinet of Ministers published on its website.
Noble Agri (China) used around UAH 500 million to realize a project on building a grain terminal in the rear part of berths 1 and 2 at Mykolaiv seaport.
Bunge (the U.S.) invested around UAH 1.7 billion in construction of a modern grain terminal and a seed crushing plant in the rear parts of berths 13 and 14 of Mykolaiv seaport.
Brooklyn-Kyiv LLC (Louis Dreifus, France) is building a grain terminal in the rear part of berth one of Odesa seaport. The Ukrainian Sea Port Authority is implementing a project on construction of berth 1-z for general cargos. Brooklyn-Kyiv raised $60 million from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to create the grain complex with an annual capacity of 4.5 million tonnes.
HPC Ukraine (Germany) is the operator of a container terminal on the Quarantine Mole of Odesa seaport and the investor in its expansion. Total investment in the project is UAH 5.18 billion. The construction will be finished in 2018. At present, the readiness of the project is 61.5% and UAH 3.192 billion has been used.
In 2015, state-run enterprises managed by the Infrastructure Ministry of Ukraine and companies investors signed several memorandums of intent. On July 19, 2015, a memorandum of intent was signed between Illilchivsk Maritime Merchandise Port and Soufflet Negoce S. A. The memo envisages investment in construction of a new terminal on one of the port’s berths. Total investment will be up to $100 million.
On August 13, 2015, a trilateral memo of cooperation between the Ukrainian Sea Port Authority, MV Cargo LLC and AT Cargill on the joint realization of affiliated projects on building a grain handling terminal with berth 25 and the creation of a working water area near the berth 16 meters deep. Total investment is planned at some $130 million.
Then the memorandum of intent was signed between Oktiabrsk Sea Port and public joint-stock company ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih. The document announces joint actions and development of cooperation in the sea transport and metal exports area.
