The housing price index in Ukraine in July-September 2023 amounted to 116.2%, while in the same period of 2022 the figure was 114.2%, the State Statistics Service (Ukrstat) reported.
According to it, in the primary market, housing prices in the third quarter of 2023 accelerated growth to 14.6% compared to 11.9% in the third quarter of the previous year. Three-bedroom apartments rose in price the most – by 16%. The price increase for one-bedroom apartments was 15.6%, and for two-bedroom apartments – 12.8%.
In the secondary market, prices accelerated growth to 17.1% in the third quarter of 2023, up from 15.6% in the same period of 2022. Thus, the growth in prices for three-room apartments amounted to 18.5%, two-room apartments – 17.9%, one-room apartments – 14.1%.
Overall, in the first nine months of 2023, housing prices increased by 13.9% compared to the same period in 2022. In the primary market, the growth was 12.2%, in the secondary market – 15.1%.
According to the statistics agency, compared to the previous quarter, housing prices in July-September 2023 increased by 6%, with a 4.5% increase in the primary market and a 6.9% increase in the secondary market.
According to the State Statistics Service, in the third quarter, prices for primary housing increased by 3.6% for one-bedroom apartments compared to the second quarter, by 4.9% for two-bedroom apartments, and by 6% for three-bedroom apartments. On the secondary market, prices rose by 5.1%, 7.5% and 7.6%, respectively.
The State Statistics Service noted that the figures exclude the temporarily occupied territories and part of the territories where military operations are ongoing (or have been ongoing).
During the military years of 2022-2023, more than 660 MW of new renewable energy capacities were commissioned in Ukraine, Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said.
According to him, in 2022, about 312 MW of new renewable energy capacities were built, and in 2023, almost 350 MW were commissioned. These are solar, wind, biogas and small hydroelectric power plants.
“For Ukraine, the development of clean energy is one of the key factors in ensuring energy independence and energy security, especially in the context of Russian military aggression,” Galushchenko said in a release from the Ministry on the occasion of the International Clean Energy Day, which is celebrated in accordance with a UN General Assembly resolution on January 26.
He also noted that despite the loss of 80% of wind farms and 20% of solar power plants as a result of the Russian invasion, their share in Ukraine’s energy mix remains significant – in 2023, approximately 10% of electricity was generated by wind and solar power plants. Taking into account large hydroelectric power plants, the share of clean energy produced reached 20.3% (more than in the pre-war period).
“The Energy Strategy of Ukraine adopted last year stipulates that we will continue to pursue the course of clean energy production. As early as 2030, the share of renewables should be at least 25% in the energy balance, and by 2050, Ukraine should achieve climate neutrality,” Galushchenko said.
He also added that today the Ukrainian nuclear industry produces more than 55% of electricity. In 2023, nuclear power plants generated 10% more electricity than the forecast balance of the IPS. As part of the Energy Strategy of Ukraine, it is planned to build nine new nuclear units, the construction of four of which may begin as early as 2024.
In January 2024, the State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” liquidated wood processing plants throughout Ukraine, said the company’s CEO Yuriy Bolokhovets.
“Elimination of processing is a painful topic. It is much more pleasant to create than to close. But sometimes you have to make unpopular decisions,” he wrote on Facebook.
The company’s CEO said that forestry enterprises had started processing earlier because the sale of round wood did not cover costs. However, after the development of private wood processing, competition in the market increased. State-owned production facilities are formally profitable, but in fact they are subsidized.
As an example, Bolokhovets cited the work of a workshop of one of the branches of the Forest of Ukraine, which specializes in harvesting oak and produces oak parquet lamellae. Its profit for 10 months of 2023 amounted to UAH 8.3 million. However, the shop receives oak at cost, which is much less than the market price.
“If the same round wood were sold through open bidding, the branch could have earned UAH 24.1 million. Formally, the shop’s profitability is 58%, but in reality, the company lost UAH 16 million,” explained the company’s CEO and added that the situation is similar in almost all processing shops, of which there are more than a hundred at Forests of Ukraine.
According to Bolokhovets, in 2023, the workshops of the State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” processed 0.9 million cubic meters of wood, the market value of which is UAH 2.15 billion. The company sold 0.4 million cubic meters of lumber worth UAH 2.3 billion. The difference amounted to UAH 150 million, which is several times less than the cost of production (salaries, electricity, etc.), the head of the state-owned enterprise stated.
“In addition to the burden of subsidies to the workshops, we will also get rid of a significant share of corruption, which will also certainly contribute to an increase in the SOE’s revenues,” Bolokhovets stated and expressed confidence that the first positive results of this structural change will be visible in the first half of 2024.
As reported, Ukraine launched a forestry reform in 2016. As part of it, the sale of unprocessed timber at electronic auctions has already been introduced. Since 2021, an interactive map of wood processing facilities has been operating in a test mode in a number of regions.
The industry has implemented the Forest in a Smartphone project, which contains a list of logging tickets for timber harvesting and allows you to check the legality of logging on the agency’s online map.
On June 1, 2023, Ukraine launched a pilot for the electronic issuance of logging tickets and certificates of origin of timber. In addition, the State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” has launched a pilot project to procure timber harvesting services through the electronic platform Prozorro.
Dynamics of the exchange rate of hryvnia to U.S. Dollar in 2022-2023
Source: Open4Business.com.ua and experts.news
Denmark will allocate DKK 60 million (USD 8.75 million) to Ukraine to support the fight against corruption under the EU Anti-Corruption Action Program (EUACI), the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports.
Denmark has been leading the EU’s anti-corruption program in Ukraine (EUACI) since 2016. During his visit to Ukraine today, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lekke Rasmussen announced support for the third phase of the program.
“Even before Russia’s illegal invasion, Ukraine had made significant progress in the fight against corruption, and even while the country is at war, it has managed to continue its positive development. But there are still areas that can be improved, and it is crucial for Ukraine’s EU dream that we help it achieve its goals,” the Foreign Ministry’s press service quoted Rasmussen as saying.
It is noted that the EU is contributing more than 70 million Danish kroner to the upcoming phase of the program, and Denmark is contributing almost 60 million Danish kroner.
Among other things, the program aims to promote openness and honesty in the reconstruction of Mykolaiv through close cooperation with the mayor and his team. It is planned to develop best practices for the reconstruction of Mykolaiv that can be used in other cities of Ukraine.
The ministry said that Rasmussen provided information on Denmark’s support for the EU’s anti-corruption program at today’s meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. The two foreign ministers met in the Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv, for the restoration of which Denmark has a special responsibility.
They discussed, among other things, how Denmark and Ukraine can further develop cooperation on Mykolaiv and how Denmark can continue to support Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression.
The Danish Foreign Minister met with students of Mykolaiv Shipbuilding University as well as the city authorities.
Agrotrade has harvested 73% of its corn acreage and continues threshing it in Chernihiv region, the company’s press service reported on Facebook.
According to the report, the corn yield in Chernihiv region reaches 12 tons per hectare. High corn yields were also recorded in other regions of the agricultural holding’s operations. On average, they yielded 131% of the planned yield.
“High yields and good grain quality were ensured by the correct selection of varieties, an effective fertilizer system and successful insecticide protection. Before commercial sowing, hybrids are pre-tested on the demo fields of the company’s testing centers. This allows us to utilize the highest yield potential,” explained Oleksandr Ovsyanyk, Director of Agrotrade’s Agricultural Department.
The agroholding reminded that in 2023, more than 8.3 thou hectares were allocated for corn in Chernihiv, Sumy and Kharkiv regions. The harvesting of the crop has already been fully completed in Kharkiv region. The highest yield of more than 14 tons/ha was obtained in the frontline area of Sumy region, where the agricultural holding’s employees continue to work under regular shelling.
As reported, in 2023, Agrotrade exported about 350 thousand tons of grain, of which 35%, or 116 thousand tons, was the share of its own products, and 65%, or 230 thousand tons, was from third-party producers.
The Agrotrade Group is a vertically integrated holding company with a full agro-industrial cycle (production, processing, storage and trade of agricultural products). It cultivates over 70 thousand hectares of land in Chernihiv, Sumy, Poltava and Kharkiv regions. Its main crops are sunflower, corn, winter wheat, soybeans and rapeseed. It has its own network of elevators with a simultaneous storage capacity of 570 thousand tons.
The group also produces hybrid seeds of corn and sunflower, barley, and winter wheat. In 2014, a seed plant with a capacity of 20 thousand tons of seeds per year was built on the basis of Kolos seed farm (Kharkiv region). In 2018, Agrotrade launched its own brand Agroseeds on the market.
Vsevolod Kozhemiako is the founder and CEO of Agrotrade.
