Mriya agricultural holding is closing its office in Kyiv, employees are being transferred to offices in Ternopil and Lviv for boosting production effectiveness, the company’s press service has reported. “In connection with the successful completion of the debt restructuring process, Mriya no longer needs a representative office in Kyiv. Now the company is negotiating with employees about the possibility of moving them to a permanent place of employment in the offices in Ternopil and Lviv,” the agricultural holding said .
The company said that the main task for next year is to increase production efficiency and work directly at the location of assets, which will allow employees to respond quickly to challenges and get involved as much as possible in the production process.
Mriya is a vertically integrated agribusiness holding, founded by Ivan Huta in 1992. Today, its land bank is 165,000 ha. The capacities of the holding’s grain storage facilities are estimated at 380,000 tonnes.
BASF Concern, a leading global chemical company, has started production of innovative fungicide Revysol. According to a press release of the company, first market introductions are expected for the 2019/2020 season, and it would enter the Ukrainian market in 2023-2025.
“BASF has started production of its latest fungicide innovation Revysol at its site in Hannibal. Pending regulatory approval, first market introductions are expected for the 2019/2020 season. With an investment in the double-digit million euro range, BASF has enhanced an existing manufacturing system to produce the new active ingredient,” BASF said in the report.
The company said that Revysol “has the potential of reaching peak sales above EUR 1 billion.” BASF has applied for registration of Revysol in 60 countries across Europe, Asia and the Americas for more than 40 crops.
“The proprietary compound was designed to meet the high level of regulatory standards while demonstrating an outstanding performance and selectivity in a broad range of row and specialty crops. Revysol will be available in customized formulations to farmers across the globe and enable them to better protect their crops under various growing conditions,” the company said.
The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine has approved an application of China’s Bohai Commodity Exchange (BOCE) to acquire a stake in the share capital of PJSC PFTS Stock Exchange (Kyiv), the press service of the committee has told Interfax-Ukraine. As reported, BOCE early May 2018 asked the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine for preliminary conclusions on the acquisition of over 25% of shares in PFTS. The application was returned, as information was not disclosed in a proper way. Late September, the Chinese exchange repeatedly submitted the documents.
PFTS Stock Exchange is one of the oldest in the Ukrainian stock market. In 2017, the volume of exchange contracts on the PFTS amounted to UAH 64.34 billion, and this indicator was less only compared with the Perspectiva stock exchange (UAH 127.43 billion), but it is more than at the Ukrainian Exchange (UAH 13.41 billion). The main volume of trading fell on government bonds – UAH 57.99 billion, while the turnover of shares amounted to UAH 3.16 billion, bonds of enterprises – UAH 3.19 billion.
PFTS in 2017 received a net profit of UAH 0.82 million against a net loss of UAH 1.78 million a year earlier, increasing revenues by 61.5%, to UAH 9.45 million.
Its main shareholders are Parvana Ltd. with 8.9034% of shares, Crooxton Limited – 9.0596%, Primeview Ltd. – 8.4973%, Dakal Ltd. – 9.372% and Boline Ltd. – 9, 2158%, which beneficiaries are unknown.
The market cost of some commercial property could double in next two or three years, Managing Director of Colliers International in Ukraine Oleksandr Nosachenko has said. “The current value of assets is very cheap. Market players in the next two to three years expect an increase in the market value of commercial real estate. If nothing dramatic happens to our country and economy, in particular, in three years, in some cases we can get the cost twice as high as the one paid by buyers,” he said at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine.
According to the expert, given the relatively low prices for assets, now it is a good time to purchase high-quality real estate: some investors are in a hurry to close deals. Nosachenko said that in the medium and long term, the share of foreign investors in the Ukrainian market will increase. At the same time, international investors mostly look at the finished facilities, which value is below the market value, with a good location, with a stable cash flow, and quality tenants with long-term contracts.
“This is a good time to purchase the best facilities. This year very high quality facilities were sold. There will be no appearance of many good facilities, the market is very limited. I do not see the tendency for banks to get rid of high-quality collateral property. Today it is not so easy to find a good and problem-free facility, which tends to increase its value,” the expert said.
According to Colliers International, among the main facilities sold in 2018 is Horizon Park BC (GLA is 69,000 square meters in Kyiv), Sky Park SEC (GLA is 30,000 square meters in Vinnytsia), warehouse complexes located at 8 and 68, Obyizna Street (Brovary, Kyiv region), an office building located at 98, Velyka Vasylkivska Street (GLA is 9,000 square meters in Kyiv), an office building located at 29, Kovpaka Street (GLA is 6,300 square meters in Kyiv), an office building located at 100, Velyka Vasylkivska Street (part of the Toronto business center, GLA is 5,500 square meters in Kyiv).
The company also said the process of selling one of the largest and best retail properties – the Ocean Plaza shopping and entertainment center (GLA is 72,200 square meters) – is one of the events significant for the investment market.
Dragon Capital Group remains the largest real estate investor in the Ukrainian market.