The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has allocated UAH 200m to the Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate to purchase weapons, military equipment and ammunition.
The Cabinet’s representative in the Verkhovna Rada, Taras Melnychuk, said in Telegram that the relevant decision was made at a government meeting on Friday.
Thus, allocated to the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense 200 million UAH on an irrevocable basis at the expense of the reserve fund of the state budget for the implementation of measures related to strengthening the defense capability of the state, in particular for the purchase of weapons, military equipment and ammunition.
In June 2023, the Dobrobut medical network increased the number of consultations by almost 30% for adults and 70% for children compared to June 2022.
According to Interfax-Ukraine, in particular, in June 2023, the number of visitors to Dobrobut medical centers amounted to 40 thousand, while in June 2021 the network received 50 thousand visitors, and in June 2022 – 28 thousand visitors.
The network noted that the top 3 most popular specialists for adult consultations in 2022 were general practitioners, gynecologists, and neurologists, while in 2023 the most popular were general practitioners, gynecologists, and otolaryngologists.
“Dobrobut is one of the largest private medical chains in Ukraine. The network includes 17 medical centers in Kyiv and Kyiv region, an emergency service, dentistry and pharmacies. The medical centers of the network provide services for children and adults in more than 75 medical areas. Every year, Dobrobut specialists perform more than 7000 surgeries. The network employs 2700 people.
Since the first days of the war, Dobrobut’s medical and diagnostic center in Kyiv, with the support of Direct Relief International and Dobrobut Foundation, has been providing free assistance to wounded soldiers and people in difficult situations due to the war.
“Dobrobut became the first private network in Ukraine to receive funding from the U.S. federal government – with the support of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), the company will build a modern physical rehabilitation center.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing Bank Lviv with a financing package consisting of a EUR7.5m guarantee to cover the risks of new lending of up to EUR30m and a hryvnia loan equivalent of up to EUR15m of private micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) financing.
“The loan is divided into two tranches – EUR10m committed and EUR5m non-dedicated, each maturing in three years – will help Bank Lviv maintain a sustainable and diversified funding base to ensure continued access to medium-term financing for businesses,” the bank said in a statement on Thursday.
It is indicated that the cost of financing the loan will be reduced by subsidizing the interest rate in local currency within the framework of the European Union’s EU4Business initiative in Ukraine.
According to the release, an unsecured risk-sharing instrument worth EUR7.5m will also be provided in two equal tranches, each of which will cover 50% of the credit risk of new loans of Bank Lviv totaling up to EUR30m, but not more than 50% of the portfolio. The facility will help Bank Lviv provide access to finance for Ukrainian companies operating in critical sectors such as primary agriculture and agricultural services, food processing, transportation and logistics, retail and pharmaceuticals, the EBRD said.
It added that up to a further EUR4.5m of this total portfolio of EUR30m will support long-term investments by private MSMEs in EU-compliant clean technologies. Eligible sub-borrowers will also receive EU-funded technical assistance and investment incentives upon completion of their investment projects.
The EBRD recalls that the project is made possible by a 50% first loss risk coverage by donors.
As reported, the relevant project was approved by the board of directors of the international bank on July 18, and the necessary documents were signed on Thursday.
The EBRD recalls that Bank Lviv, owned by European shareholders, is a regional SME-oriented bank and one of the fastest growing in western Ukraine: its loan portfolio grew from $35 million in 2017 to $133 million in the first quarter of 2023. Its head office is located in Lviv, and its network includes 19 branches, 13 of them in Lviv region and six in other cities.
According to the National Bank of Ukraine, as of the beginning of June 2023, Bank Lviv ranked 27th (UAH 8.25 bln) among 65 banks operating in the country in terms of assets.
According to the information on the website of Bank Lviv, its shareholders at the beginning of this year were: ResponsAbility Participations (Switzerland) – 48.557189%, Nordic Environment Finance Corporation (NEFCO) – 13.93623% and Icelandic citizen Margeir Peturson – 37.4692%.
Ukraine will produce about 100,000 tons of nitrate in August and reach a record 220,000+ tons for all types of nitrogen fertilizers, the highest level since March 2022, according to industry analytical agency Infoindustria.
According to the report, growing demand for nitrogen fertilizers in the EU and Asian markets allows Ukrainian producers to hope for continued demand over the next three months.
“Thanks to successful nitrogen fertilizer sales in June and July, Ostchem was able to secure orders ahead of September, so it is now important to turn on production to the maximum. The task before the two plants is not insignificant, because, according to various calculations, the market for two months could have already sold from 120 to 150 thousand tons of nitrate and 60-70 thousand tons of urea, not to mention UAN and other fertilizers, demand for which is not yet fully sufficient – autumn field work in Ukraine continues,” the report says.
The plants in Cherkassy and Rivne are expected to produce up to 100,000 tons of nitrate in August. Cherkassy “Azot” will fulfill the maximum plan for urea and will load UAN by 60%, and “Rivneazot” will be able to launch limestone nitrate in the second half of August. So, in general, the plants will produce 220-225 thousand tons of products – an absolute record for the last 530 days of the war in Ukraine.
At the same time, Infoindustria analysts note that Odessa Port Plant and Dniprazot may be launched in September, which will bring additional volumes of nitrogen fertilizers to the country’s market. The enterprises will compete for the consumption-limited Ukrainian market and try their hand at the global market.
“Those producers who will not have time to sell nitrogen on the domestic market in August (when agroholdings buy) will be forced to hold it until February (when small and medium-sized agribusinesses will buy). Another sales option is to supply nitrogen for export. It is this option that will be of interest to everyone from September 2023. Fertilizer market conditions were complicated by Russia’s withdrawal from the “grain deal”, which affects the price level of agricultural products,” analysts predict.
Fertilizer market experts expect that due to a good harvest in 2023, if the crop is successfully sold, farmers have every chance to buy more fertilizers for the 2024 season.
On August 17-18 in Vinnytsia (Hotel France), the All-Ukrainian Conference and Exhibition “Bread Industry-2023” will address the most pressing issues of the grain processing industry of Ukraine.
Taking into account the approaching start of the forum, the program of Bread Industry-2023 has been updated and expanded. It should also be noted that more than 150 companies have confirmed their participation in the conference.
The conference will feature 2 informative specialized sessions, two panel discussions, a round table and an excursion to Vinnytsia Food and Flavor Factory.
The general partner of the event is Concern Khlibprom PJSC, partners: Export Support Center and Ukrainian Export Alliance. Support is provided by the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, the Ministry of Economy, Vinnytsia Regional State Administration, the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, USAID, Chemonics and other industry organizations and agencies.
So, here is the conference program in detail.
Session 1: Ukraine’s economy after 1.5 years of war: consequences and expectations for business
The session will analyze the state of Ukraine’s economy after 1.5 years of war, consider the consequences and prospects for the market, business expectations of the state and tools to support it.
Speakers will include Taras Vysotskyi, First Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, Nadiya Bihun, Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine, Danylo Hetmantsev, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Finance, Taxation and Customs Policy, Anatoliy Amelin, Director of Economic Programs at the Ukrainian Institute for the Future, and Ksenia Sydorkina, Director of the USAID Agricultural and Rural Development Program.
The moderator will be Olena Kovaleva, National Food Expert at UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization).
Panel discussion “Quality issues of Ukrainian raw materials in 2023/24 MY”
The panel will highlight the quality of wheat grain, the quality and use of enriched flour in the production of bread and pasta, and discuss general problems with the quality of raw materials and finished products.
Invited speakers: Oleg Onishchenko, Technical and Presentation Manager, SGS-Ukraine; Dmytro Zhygunov, Professor, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Head of the Department of Technology of Grain Products, Bread and Confectionery, ONTU; Nadiya Bachal, Deputy Director for Product Quality and Safety, Stolychnyi Mlyn LLC; Nadiia Nepokrytova, Technologist, Sales Manager, Stern Ingredients Ukraine (Mühlenchemie); Andrii Mishyn, Head of Quality of Raw Materials and Finished Products, Bushtruk Farm (Kyiv Mix TM); Nataliia Grunwald, Executive Director, AGROSERT LLC; Pavlo Lebedev, Senior Associate, AGA Partners.
The discussion will be moderated by Rodion Rybchynsky, Chairman of the Board of Ukrkharchoprom, Director of the Union of Millers of Ukraine, FAO OON grain sector expert.
In addition, a roundtable discussion “Interaction of food companies with suppliers and consumers: B2B and B2C”.
It will be attended by Hanna Lichman, MP of Ukraine, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Regulatory Policy of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Economic Development, USAID representative, Maryna Zabarylo, Director of Consumer Panel Services, GfK Ukraine, representative of the Research Institute “Ukragropromproductivity”, Natalia Petrivska, Head of GR Department of the Association of Retailers of Ukraine, Dmytro Romanov, foreign markets expert, consultant of FAO/EBRD development projects, Volodymyr Ivchenko, acting Director General of the Research Institute “Ukragropromproductivity”, Viktor Zhabchyk, Director of the private enterprise “Vilis” (produces pasta under its own trademarks “Vilis”, “Makarella”, “Italino”, “Viverelli”, etc.), Vladyslav Averchenko, Director General of PJSC “Concern Khlibprom” (TM “Agrola”, “Vinnytsiakhlib”, “Bandinelli”, Grill & Bakery, etc. ), Artem Shtangeev, Commercial Director of Mixmart, Oleksandra Avramenko, Head of the European Integration Committee of the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club and moderator of the event, Oleksandr Taranenko, President of the All-Ukrainian Association of Bakers.
The first day of the conference will end with a friendly dinner hosted by the general partner, Concern Khlibprom.
Session 2: Bread industry: market and technology
This session will be dedicated to discussing the development of technologies and the market of the Ukrainian bread industry (flour, bread, pasta, cereals, flour products, additives and ingredients), as well as marketing and distribution.
Speakers will include Rodion Rybchynskyi, Director of the Union of Millers of Ukraine, Oleksandr Taranenko, President of the All-Ukrainian Bakers Association, Sergiy Sakirkin, Chairman of the Audit Committee of the Union of Millers of Ukraine, Oleksandr Vereshchynskyi, Doctor of Technical Sciences and Founder of OLIS LLC, Vadym Horyelyi, Director of GVP Equipment. Also, representatives of the Export Credit Agency of Ukraine, the Alliance of Trade Finance and Factoring, banks and financial institutions, as well as an expert in grant writing (grant attraction), Ruslan Rokhov, Advisor to Export Credit Agency, Natalia Gavrilko, expert in grant writing (grant attraction), will share their vision of the situation in the industry.
The session will be moderated by Borys Shestopalov, co-owner of HD-group and GFS GROUP.
The practical end of the two-day conference will be an excursion to Vinnytsia Food and Flavor Factory, one of the leading canned food producers in Vinnytsia region and Ukraine as a whole.
Follow the updates to the program of the Bread Industry 2023 conference at this link.
Join the unbreakable community of professionals and get the most up-to-date information to develop and protect your business! To join, go to the conference page https://bakeryindustry.com.ua and fill in the application form by clicking on the “Participate” button.
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The International Sugar Organization (ISO) has made its first forecast for the global sugar balance for the 2023/2024 season (October to September).
According to the review, published on Thursday, the new season on the world sugar market will be in deficit.
Production is projected at 174.839 million tons compared to 174.024 million tons in 2022/2023, while global consumption is projected at 176.957 million tons compared to 176.531 million tons, respectively.
Thus, the deficit of sugar on the world market in the coming season will amount to 2.118 million tons.
