Sales of Ukrainian cheese have stopped growing in Ukraine amid rising imports, and the prospects for domestic cheese sales in foreign markets are not good, according to Infagro, an industry analytical agency.
“In the short term, cheeses will not become cheaper, but promotions with big discounts will become widespread. And even price discounts will not save all producers, as cheese imports have increased significantly,” the analysts said.
According to their information, European cheese is very cheap and it is becoming increasingly difficult for domestic producers to compete with it in the Ukrainian domestic market. In the first quarter, imports of hard, semi-hard and white cheese increased by 12%. This included a significant amount of hard/semi-hard cheeses, which are the most competitive for domestic cheese producers. Imports of processed cheese increased by a quarter.
At the same time, there is no certainty that imports will increase significantly in the future. The devaluation of the hryvnia scares importers away a bit, experts suggest.
They pointed out that due to the worsening problems with sales in the domestic market, Ukrainian cheese producers are trying to increase exports, but they do not always succeed.
“Export sales of semi-hard cheeses fell by 11% in the first quarter compared to the same period last year. The dynamics of exports of semi-hard cheese products looks even worse. Their sales in the first quarter fell by almost a quarter. In the future, exports of this product will fall even more significantly,” Infagro predicts.
The Motor (Transport) Insurance Bureau of Ukraine (MTIBU) can provide a certificate of accident-free driving experience required by some foreign insurance companies to conclude an auto insurance contract.
According to its website, due to changes in the conditions of stay of vehicles with Ukrainian registration and the need to register them in the countries of stay, Ukrainians have faced the impossibility of further using the Ukrainian Green Card and the need to use insurance services of foreign insurance companies.
In order to obtain information from the MTIBU’s Centralized Database (CDB) on the history of insurance under the compulsory insurance of civil liability of owners of land vehicles and participation in road accidents, an application in any form must be submitted to the MTIBU.
The application must indicate the addressee (MTIBU), the applicant’s full name, details of the document certifying the individual submitting the request, the applicant’s individual tax number, address of residence (place of stay), e-mail, vehicle make and model (optional), vehicle license plate, vehicle VIN
The written application must be signed and dated by the applicant. After that, a scanned copy or a photo in pdf-format should be sent to mtibu@mtibu.kiev.ua.
The MTIBU emphasizes that the certificates are issued free of charge. The MTIBU’s database was created in 2010. Therefore, the database does not contain complete information on MTPL contracts concluded before 2010. Due to the large number of requests, it takes some time to process such a request.
Inquiries are sent by e-mail and are certified by an electronic digital signature.
Zaporozhkoks, one of Ukraine’s largest coke and chemical producers and a member of Metinvest Group, despite the difficulties caused by Russia’s military aggression, paid over UAH 225 million in taxes and fees to the budgets of all levels in 2023.
According to the company, the average number of employees at the company is about 800, with almost 14% of employees mobilized into the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, eight Zaporozhkoks employees have given their lives for the freedom of Ukraine.
“Despite the full-scale war, Zaporozhkoks has been operating steadily, supporting the economy of our country and hometown. In 2023 alone, the plant produced about 1 million tons of gross coke, which is almost 30% of the total produced in Ukraine,” said Alexander Bekhter, CEO of the plant, as quoted by the press service.
It is also stated that over its 90-year history, Zaporizhkoks has produced almost 120 million tons of gross coke. The company is systematically upgrading its production facilities, including coke oven batteries, improving the quality and expanding the range of chemical products.
In particular, in 2019, a new electrode pitch granulation line was put into operation. In 2020, Zaporozhkoks put into pilot operation a new mini-cooling tower for cooling process water at the tar distillation shop. The company is successfully implementing energy saving projects, including a project to exchange secondary gases with Zaporizhstal.
As reported, Zaporozhkoks increased its blast furnace coke production by 16% in 2023 compared to 2022, up to 856.8 thousand tons from 737.4 thousand tons.
“Zaporozhkoks produces about 10% of coke in Ukraine and has a full technological cycle of coke products processing. It also produces coke oven gas and pitch coke.
“Metinvest is a vertically integrated mining group of companies. Its major shareholders are SCM Group (71.24%) and Smart Holding (23.76%), which jointly manage the company.
Metinvest Holding LLC is the management company of Metinvest Group.
Change in prices of food raw materials from Ukraine (forecast up to 2025), %
Source: Open4Business.com.ua and experts.news
Exports of selected agricultural products, mln tons
Source: Open4Business.com.ua and experts.news
In 2024, KSG Agro will introduce a new crop to its crop rotation – coriander – on 220 hectares of land, the group’s press service reports.
“It’s no secret that due to the full-scale war, prices for certain crops do not allow agricultural producers to grow them at a profit. This encourages us to make adjustments to the range of crops we grow. So this year we are adding coriander to the crop rotation, which is the fastest growing among other essential oil crops in Ukraine,” said Dmytro Emelchenko, Head of the company’s crop production division.
He called the cultivation of coriander quite profitable, as it is a raw material for essential oil used in the food and cosmetic industries.
“It is also important for us that the best predecessors of coriander in the fields are winter crops, and it also grows well after corn,” added Emelchenko.
According to him, KSG Agro, a vertically integrated holding company, is one of the top 5 pork producers in Ukraine. It is also engaged in the production, storage, processing and sale of grains and oilseeds. Its land bank is about 21 thousand hectares in Dnipropetrovska and Kherson regions.
In January-September 2023, KSG Agro earned $1,336 million in net profit, which is almost 14 times more than in the same period of 2022. Its EBITDA for the three quarters of this year increased by 67% to $4.5 million, and sales revenue increased by 16% to $11.9 million.
