The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in August improved the forecast for maize crop in Ukraine in 2018 by one million tonnes compared to the July forecast, to 31 million tonnes. According to a report on the website of the U.S. department, the forecast for maize exports for the 2018/2019 marketing year (MY, July-June) was also increased by 500,000 tonnes, to 24.5 million tonnes.
The USDA maintained the forecast for wheat exports from Ukraine in the 2018/2019 MY at 16.5 million tonnes with the yield being 25.5 million tonnes, which corresponds to the figures published in July.
In general, the U.S. department raised the forecast for grain harvest in Ukraine by 1.85 million tonnes, to 65.6 million tonnes, exports by 1.45 million tonnes, to 45.66 million tonnes.
As reported, with reference to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, exports of grains in the 2017/2018 marketing year, according to preliminary data, amounted to 39.4 million tonnes against 43.8 million tonnes for the previous MY.
The harvest of grain in Ukraine in 2017 amounted to 61.28 million tonnes, which is 4.7 million tonnes less than in 2016.
Rubizhne cardboard packaging mill in Luhansk region, one of Ukraine’s largest cardboard packaging producers, produced 145.56 million square meters of corrugated cardboard boxes in January-July 2018, including goods from its Trypilsky packaging plant, which is 16.2% up year-over-year. The mills increased production of components of corrugated cardboard (cardboard and fluting) by 4.7%, to 168,920 tonnes.
The total commodity amount produced by both plants in the period in monetary terms grew by 32%, to UAH 3.168 billion.
According to UkrPapir association, cardboard packaging production in Ukraine in January-July 2018 grew by 4.9% and amounted to 583.45 million square meters.
The Rubizhne cardboard packaging mill has worked on the packaging market since 1991, and specializes in the production of components for corrugated cardboard (cardboard and fluting) and corrugated cardboard boxes.
Its most important customers are large confectioneries, juice and tobacco producers. The Rubizhne cardboard packaging mill acquired Trypilsky packaging plant in 2002 and subsequently began producing corrugated cardboard and corrugated packaging.
One troy ounce=31.10 grams
Agroliga group of companies (Kharkiv region) received a net profit of EUR1.175 million in January-June 2018, which is 30% more than in the same period of 2017.
According to the company’s report on the Warsaw Stock Exchange, its revenue for the period decreased by 2.1%, to EUR11.913 million, operating profit by 34.1%, to EUR928,000, gross profit by 9.6%, to EUR1.235 million. The total assets of Agroliga as of June 30, 2018 amounted to EUR28.5 million against EUR25.33 million as of December 31, 2017.
Agroliga has been operating on the Ukrainian agricultural market since 1992. Its enterprises are engaged in growing grain crops, processing sunflower seeds, and dairy farming.
The group cultivates about 10,000 hectares of land.
The majority shareholders of the group are Oleksandr Berdnyk with a share of 41.66%, and Iryna Poplavska with 41.66%.
The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMC) in order to prevent monopolization of commodity markets has begun consideration of a number of concentration cases that will lead to the Rozetka marketplace owners’ gaining control over the EVO marketplaces.
In particular, the AMC is investigating the legitimacy of the acquisition by Temania Enterprises Ltd (Limassol, Cyprus) of shares in the charter capital of Uaprom and Aukro Ukraine (Kyiv, Ukraine), Tiu.ru (Russia), Project Dealbay (Belarus), and Satu.kz Advertising Agency (Kazakhstan), which will provide it with over 50% of the voting shares on the companies’ board.
The AMC said as a result of these concentrations the buyer (who owns the Rozetka.ua online trading platform) will gain control over the marketplaces of the acquired objects, namely Prom.ua, Bigl.ua, Shafa.ua, Crafta.ua, Kabanchik.net, Zakupki.prom.ua, Satu.kz, Deal.by, etc.
The committee notes these cases are open for an in-depth study of the impact of concentration on the e-commerce markets, in particular the field of providing online services for trade in goods/services.
As reported, the Rozetka online supermarket and EVO group of companies plan to merge. As a result of the planned deal, Rozetka will buy out Naspers’ share in EVO, while the share of the EVO founders will be transformed into a share in the merged company.
