The Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food, with the support of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), intends to develop agrarian diplomacy, said Vitaliy Koval, Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, after a meeting with Viorel Gutsu, head of the FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia.
“The goal of agrarian diplomacy is to train specialists to promote Ukrainian agricultural products on international markets on the basis of specialized higher education institutions. We are talking about the so-called agrarian attaches at diplomatic and trade missions abroad,” the press service of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy quoted Vitaliy Koval as saying.
The Ukrainian minister added that the FAO team had confirmed its interest in implementing such a project.
The ministers also discussed the possibility of allocating grants for Ukrainian farmers to automate production processes and increase the volume of value-added products, providing livestock farmers with generators, switching to gas generators, attracting international experts to adapt the Ukrainian agricultural sector to European requirements, and climate programs for Ukraine.
As of October 11, farmers in all regions of Ukraine have harvested 62.2 million tons of new crops from 16.8 million hectares, up from 56.6 million tons from 15.8 million hectares a week earlier.
As reported by the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food on Friday, 40.2 million tons (37.3 million tons) of grains and legumes, 17 million tons (15.8 million tons) of oilseeds and 5 million tons (3.5 million tons) of sugar beet have already been harvested.
The Ministry specified that wheat harvesting was completed, with 22.3 million tons harvested from 4.9 million hectares at a yield of 42.4 c/ha, barley – 5.5 million tons from 1.4 million hectares at a yield of 39.2 c/ha, peas – 465.3 million tons from 212.2 thousand hectares at a yield of 21.9 c/ha.
Corn harvesting continues, with 10.6 million tons harvested (7.7 thousand tons a week earlier) from 1.9 million hectares (48% of the plan), buckwheat – 124.3 thousand tons (121.8 thousand tons) from 85.8 thousand hectares (96%), millet – 156.1 thousand tons (154.8 thousand tons) from 82.9 thousand hectares (89%).
Ukraine continues harvesting oilseeds. In particular, 3.5 mln tons of rapeseed (3.457 mln tons a week earlier) have been harvested from 1.3 mln hectares (100%), soybeans – 4.8 mln tons (4.277 mln tons) from 2.1 mln hectares (80%), sunflower – 8.8 mln tons (8 mln tons) from 4.3 mln hectares (87%).
At the same time, the leaders in grain harvesting are farmers in Odesa region, who threshed 4.2 mln ha, Poltava region – 3.5 mln tons, and Kirovograd region – 2.7 mln tons. In terms of yields, the leaders are farmers in Khmelnytsky region with 65.5 c/ha, Ternopil region – 63 c/ha, Cherkasy region – 60.5 c/ha, and Ivano-Frankivsk region – 60.2 c/ha.
Quotes of interbank currency market of Ukraine (uah for $1, in 01.07.2024-30.07.2024)
Open4Business.com.ua
The fifth test launch of the US Starship rocket system under development for manned missions to the Moon and Mars on Sunday was a success, the development company SpaceX said.
After one orbit around the Earth, the promising Starship manned spacecraft touched down in the Indian Ocean northwest of Australia.
The launch was carried out from SpaceX’s Starbase launch pad in Boca Chica, southeast Texas, at 08:25 a.m. ET (15:25 a.m. Kyiv time).
Meanwhile, for the first time in the history of space exploration, the Super Heavy carrier has successfully landed back at the launch complex, where it was grabbed by the Mechazilla system levers during landing.
The reusable rocket system consists of the Starship spacecraft and the Super Heavy launch vehicle. Its height exceeds 120 meters. It is taller than any other rocket ever created in the world. The Super Heavy carrier is twice as powerful as the Space Launch System (SLS) heavy rocket being developed by NASA for manned flights to the Moon. The rocket has been launched four times before, but only two flights – in March and June of this year – were successful.
The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU) has granted Epicenter K LLC a permit to acquire control over Dyvotsentr LLC (both in Kyiv), the beneficiary of which is MP Oleg Seminsky (Servant of the People faction). The Ministry issued the relevant merger clearance on October 3.
According to Opendatabot, the beneficiaries of the DivoCenter LLC registered in July 2024 are Oleh Seminsky and Tetiana Bushai. Seminsky is also a beneficiary of Delois LLC, which was the customer for the construction of the KyivMall shopping and entertainment center at the intersection of Hryhorenko and Kolektorna streets in the Darnytskyi district of Kyiv.
KyivMall was scheduled to be commissioned in 2014, but construction was stopped in 2013. The area of the facility would have been 80.4 thousand square meters.
Epicentrk Group is an omnichannel ecosystem that unites Epicentrk and Nova Liniya retail chains, epicentrk.ua online store, Epicentrk-Agro agricultural holding, Epicenter Ceramic Corporation ceramic tile production plants, Osmoloda woodworking plant, and logistics facilities.
Before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Epicenter chain included more than 80 shopping centers in all regions of the country. The war destroyed seven shopping centers in Mariupol, Nikopol, Bucha, Chernihiv, Kharkiv and Kherson (two). Three more facilities (in Melitopol, Kramatorsk and Kharkiv) are out of operation due to the occupation of Ukrainian territories, shelling or proximity to the war zone.
The group’s retail network includes 71 stores under the Epicenter and Nova Liniya brands.
Despite the significant losses, the retailer continues to invest in the economy: in 2022-2023, it invested over UAH 14.2 billion in various projects. In general, the Epicenter Group’s investment plan until 2030 envisages the development of projects in retail, manufacturing, agriculture, logistics, e-commerce, and energy for a total of about UAH 100 billion.
According to the Unified State Register of Legal Entities and Individual Entrepreneurs, the members of Epicenter K LLC are Oleksandr Gerega (51.3%), Halyna Gerega (47.97%), and Tetiana Surzhyk (0.73%).
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is launching the Universal Design School (UD School), an innovative and much-needed initiative that will contribute to Ukraine’s inclusive recovery, focusing on accessibility-oriented reconstruction.
In addition to practical work on projects, the UD School offers an educational program that includes workshops, lectures, and case studies conducted by experts in the field of accessibility and inclusion. Each group of participants will be accompanied by a mentor who will help them develop practical solutions in accordance with international universal design standards, focusing on improving key sectors such as healthcare, education, public services, and culture.
As part of the school’s program, participants – architects, designers, urban planners and engineers – will work in interdisciplinary teams to solve real-world problems to make public spaces, buildings and services accessible to all, including people with disabilities.
As part of the training, 70 participants from all over Ukraine out of more than 300 applicants were selected to work on real projects in 13 Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, Rivne, Slavutych, Lviv, and Poltava. The selected projects cover a wide range of public spaces – healthcare facilities, schools, cultural heritage sites, and government institutions – that will be designed to be accessible to all, including people with disabilities.
The UD School is an important response to the needs of Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction, where thousands of people, including those with war-related disabilities, now live in spaces that require inclusive and sustainable recovery. The goal of the school is to provide participants with the practical skills and theoretical knowledge necessary to integrate universal design principles into reconstruction processes, ensuring that new and reconstructed structures are barrier-free.
Christoforos Politis, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Ukraine , emphasized the school’s crucial role in Ukraine’s recovery: “The launch of the School of Universal Design could not have come at a more important time,” said Christoforos Politis. ”As Ukraine embarks on the difficult path of rebuilding war-torn cities and communities, we have a unique opportunity to ensure that inclusivity is at the center of these efforts. Universal design is not just technical guidelines, it is a philosophy that puts people’s needs first in planning and development. Whether it is a hospital, school or cultural facility, our goal is to create spaces where everyone can live and thrive with dignity.”
Tetyana Lomakina, Advisor to the Presidential Commissioner for Accessibility, emphasized the significant impact of universal design in today’s environment: “Every space has one goal – to provide an opportunity to live, work, study, relax, buy products – basic activities that are available to everyone without exception. Universal design takes into account the diversity of people and their basic needs, offering solutions that make the space not only inclusive but also fair,” said Tetiana Lomakina. ”We must understand that universal design, like barrier-free accessibility, is not a whim or an additional function, but a requirement for the developer. It’s about social responsibility in communities, a strategic approach to the development of Ukraine, and the consistent transformation of spaces and society.”
The UD School will last until December 2024, ending with the presentation of the final projects. These projects are expected to leave a significant mark on Ukraine’s recovery process by offering real, affordable solutions that will improve the quality of life for all citizens, regardless of their physical abilities.
During this initiative, a presentation was made by Artem Honcharenko, who represented the veteran space of the Institute for Reintegration, Rehabilitation and Professional Development of Veterans “Architecture of Resilience” at the Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture. In his presentation, he shared his experience of working with veterans, their integration into inclusive projects, and the importance of architectural solutions that can be developed by participants and implemented in veteran space, which are aimed at ensuring accessibility and adaptation of urban space for all citizens, including veterans.
For reference:
The Universal Design School is organized as part of the UNDP Mine Action in Ukraine project with financial support from the Government of Sweden.
