Uzbekistan has concluded bilateral negotiations with the United States on joining the World Trade Organization (WTO). The United States of America became the 21st country with which Uzbekistan has completed bilateral discussions on accession to the organization. The negotiations lasted for 14 months.
The parties are currently actively preparing to sign a market access protocol.
In September, Uzbekistan completed negotiations on WTO accession with 18 countries. Protocols on completion of market access negotiations were signed with Brazil and Sri Lanka.
At a meeting with entrepreneurs in August, the President of Uzbekistan called joining the WTO a thoughtful and far-sighted choice, as well as an integral part of Uzbekistan’s reforms.
Svitanok Agrofirm, a private enterprise owned by Tetyana Zasukha, former MP and wife of the former head of the Kyiv Regional State Administration, has acquired 1.45 million units, or 70.78% of the shares in Spets-Avia PJSC.
According to the information disclosure system of the National Securities and Stock Market Commission, as of November 8, 2024, Svitanok Agrofirm did not own ordinary electronic shares of Spets-Avia PJSC.
Svitanok Agrofirm also clarified that on the day of the transaction, the value of the shares was UAH 0.25 each. At the same time, the highest price for the purchase of shares, including the day of acquisition of the controlling stake, reached UAH 0.6296 per share. During the twelve months preceding the day of acquisition of such a stake, Svitanok Agrofirm did not enter into any other share purchase agreements.
The transaction took place in several stages: On November 6, 2024, Svitanok Agrofirm acquired two blocks of 510948 electronic registered ordinary shares, which in total amounted to 49.8% of the share in the issuer’s authorized capital, and a block of 430574 shares (20.98%). As a result, the controlling stake in Svitanok Agrofirm amounted to 70.78% or 1452470 shares.
Svitanok Agrofirma was registered in 1993 in Kyiv region, and in 2000 the collective farm became a private enterprise owned 100% by Tetiana Zasukha. It has a land bank of 80 thousand hectares. It specializes in crop production and has 3 elevators: Chornorudka (100 thousand tons), Ustymivske (83.7 thousand tons) and Fastivske (60.4 thousand tons) elevators. Dairy and meat business: represented by a herd of cattle of 2 thousand and 3 thousand heads respectively and a herd of pigs of more than 2 thousand heads. The agroholding has its own meat and bakery processing facilities, and has launched pasta production.
In May 2021, former Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Roman Leshchenko said that people involved in land fraud would be sanctioned by the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC). As an example of such violations, he cited the formation by a legal entity of a fairly large land mass from the land plots of private farms in the context of a moratorium on the sale of agricultural land. According to the former minister, the land bank of Svitanok Agrofirm consists of 461 plots on 419 hectares near Fastiv (Kyiv region).
According to Opendatabot, as of mid-March 2024, Svitanok owns the largest amount of land in Ukraine – more than 5 thousand hectares.
In 2023, the company’s revenue amounted to UAH 3.93 million, compared to UAH 4.374 million a year earlier, net profit was estimated at UAH 111.7 thousand in 2023, debt liabilities – UAH 2.761 million, and assets – UAH 3.617 million. The company employed 4 people.
Astarta, the largest sugar producer in Ukraine, has completed the autumn sowing campaign for the 2025 harvest, for which it has allocated 65 thousand hectares, the company’s press service reports on Facebook.
“According to operational data, the structure of winter crops is as follows: winter wheat – more than 46 thou hectares, winter rapeseed – more than 17 thou hectares, winter peas – 2 thou hectares,” the agroholding said.
At the same time, Astarta’s structural units continue the sugar beet harvesting campaign, the total area under which is 38 thousand hectares.
As reported earlier, the sugar production season in the agricultural holding started on August 24 at the plant in Vinnytsia region. At the end of August, two plants were launched in Poltava region, and in September – two more.
In 2023, the agricultural holding grew 39 thousand tons of sugar beet, up 20% from a year earlier, thanks to a record yield of 58 tons/ha, compared to 56 tons/ha in 2022, the company’s annual report said Wednesday evening.
According to the agricultural holding, the record high sugar beet harvest extended the processing period until the end of January 2024. In total, the sugar production campaign in 2023 lasted 130 days, compared to 111 days a year earlier.
“In the 2023-2024 marketing year, Astarta increased sugar production by 34% year-on-year to 377 thousand tons. At the same time, the volume of sugar beet processing in 2023 increased by 37% compared to the same period last year and reached 2.7 million tons. The market share remained unchanged at 21% in 2023.
In 2023, Astarta, the largest sugar producer in Ukraine, reduced its net profit by 5.0% to EUR 61.9 million, and its EBITDA decreased by 6.1% to EUR 145.77 million, while revenue increased by 21.3% to EUR 618.93 million.
On February 13-14, 2025, the largest conference for Ukrainian entrepreneurs on entering foreign markets, finding partners, step-by-step strategies and tactical solutions – Mind Export Summit 2025 – will be held for two days.
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Open4business is a media partner.
TAS Agro Agro Agro Holding has announced its intention to acquire the seed plant of Dmytrivske Grain Processing Enterprise (Chernihiv region).
According to the information disclosure system of the National Securities and Stock Market Commission, as of November 12, 2024, TAS Agro LLC did not own ordinary registered shares of Dmitrievske Grain Processing Enterprise PJSC and had no affiliates.
The report specifies that TAS Agro LLC intends to purchase 135,440 ordinary registered shares, which is 100% of the company’s authorized capital.
As reported, the founder of the TAS Group of Companies (GC), Sergiy Tigipko, announced new business directions for the group: the purchase of a seed plant and an elevator with a storage capacity of 40 thousand tons, the construction of an apple processing plant and a railcar building plant.
Dmytrivske Grain Processing Enterprise was established in 2003, and its core business is warehousing, with a focus on growing grain crops, seed production, wholesale of grain, seeds and animal feed, and trucking.
According to Opendatabot, the company’s revenue in 2023 amounted to UAH 24.66 million, net profit – UAH 1.497 million, debt – UAH 53.458 million, assets were estimated at UAH 75.4 million, and the number of employees – 40. The authorized capital is UAH 13.544 million. Its beneficiaries in equal shares (50:50) are Vitaliy and Oleg Malysh.
TAS Agro was established in 2014. Its land bank includes 88 thousand hectares in Chernihiv, Sumy, Kyiv, Vinnytsia, Kirovohrad and Mykolaiv regions. The holding specializes in crop production, with elevators with a capacity of about 250 thousand tons. The livestock business is represented by a cattle herd of 5.5 thousand heads, of which 2.5 thousand heads are dairy cattle.
According to the Opendatabot resource, the company’s revenue in 2023 amounted to UAH 2.588 billion, net profit – UAH 155.842 million, debt – UAH 1.2 billion, assets were estimated at UAH 1.8653 billion, and the number of employees – 129. The authorized capital is UAH 8 thousand.
The agricultural holding is part of the TAS group, which was founded in 1998. Its business interests include the financial sector (banking and insurance segments) and pharmacy, as well as industry, real estate, and venture capital projects.
The founder of TAS and the beneficiary of TAS Agro is Sergiy Tigipko.
Sunflower prices increased last week and fluctuated in the range of 25-27.5 thsd UAH/t CPT, due to the activity of purchases and the amount of supply of raw materials on the market, according to the analytical cooperative “Start”, created within the framework of the All-Ukrainian Agrarian Council. “A number of companies reported fairly good receipts of the oilseed, while some small enterprises suspended operations until the price situation on the market improved,” the analysts said. According to their information, prices for sunflower oil in the domestic market continued to grow, while prices for sunflower meal continued to decline significantly. Processors, trying to balance in such a situation, in some cases refused to sell the meal on the domestic market, while oil was offered at rather high prices, but left the market, they stated.
