An agricultural cluster in Khmelnytsky region could be created on the basis of 16 enterprises of the First Ukrainian Agricultural Cooperative.
“We have 16 enterprises in Khmelnytsky region. On their basis we will make a cluster that will allow a small farmer with 200-300 hectares to have his elevator, a grain drier and an approaching road for a car. We are now facing the issue of building and investing in elevators, wagons and traction,” Executive Director of the First Ukrainian Agricultural Cooperative Oleksandr Buyukli said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
According to him, only 2% of agricultural products are sold through cooperatives in Ukraine, so there is a great potential for uniting and developing cooperatives.
In December 2017, the First Ukrainian Agricultural Cooperative held a meeting with members of the cooperative, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and Rabobank.
“The First Ukrainian Agricultural Cooperative is actively cooperating with the EBRD, as they provide not only important support at the level of specialists, but also technical support for meetings and fundraising. The EBRD and Rabobank see great potential in the development of cooperatives,” the cooperative head said.
He said that the EBRD is preparing a number of projects for the cooperative to process soybeans, wheat and sunflower.
The First Ukrainian Agricultural Cooperative was founded on March 23, 2017. The cooperative includes 61 agricultural enterprises with a land bank of about 180,000 hectares in 10 regions of Ukraine.
For eight months in 2017 PUSK realized about 90 thousand tons of grain and bought about 20 thousand tons of mineral fertilizers.
In January-August 2017, the cooperative sold around 90,000 tonnes of grain and bought around 20,000 tonnes of mineral fertilizers.
Marriott International has postponed the opening of its first hotel under the Aloft brand in Ukraine from February 15 to May 1, 2018.
According to the updated information on the company’s official website, the Aloft hotel will be opened on May 1. The hotel is located at 17 Esplanadna Street in Kyiv’s Pechersky district.
As reported, it is part of the U.S. Starwood Hotels & Resorts chain, acquired by Marriott International in 2016.
There are 250 Aloft hotels across the world.
Marriott International, Inc. is a leading global lodging company with more than 6,000 properties in 122 countries and territories, reporting revenues of more than $17 billion in fiscal year 2016. Founded by J. Willard and Alice Marriott and guided by family leadership for nearly 90 years, the company is headquartered outside of Washington, D.C. in Bethesda, Maryland.
The first 3D laboratory in Ukraine has opened Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute to train specialists in the field of metrology and technical measurements for machine building and other industries, the institute’s press service has reported.
“Our task, the task of business is to create new jobs and enterprises so that students who graduated from the university could receive decent work in Ukraine. There should be a practical laboratory at every university. Out task for the near future is to find companies that have professional experience in a particular area and that will work with the university and create new laboratories. Students should be able to quickly introduce their theoretical knowledge into practice, even if they are mistaken,” the head of the supervisory board at Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute, Vasyl Khmelnytsky, said.
According to the report, “certification of measuring equipment for Ukrainian enterprises will be conducted at the center, and students and specialists will be able to study the work of equipment for 3D scanning and reverse modeling, as well as new 3D printers.”
According to Rector of Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute Yevhen Sokol, today graduates should be able to effectively use theoretical knowledge that they receive, and this is impossible without modern equipment.
“The state has already provided what it could provide, so today the only opportunity is business that is vitally interested in getting good and modern staff. It can support higher education at the world level. It is the combination of business and education that helps us open such laboratories, which will teach our students with the help of the most advanced equipment,” Sokol said.
The laboratory is equipped with a universal tool for three-dimensional measurements and digitization, a portable coordinate-measuring system for high-precision measurements at extremely long distances, a 3D scanner, and a 3D printer.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in 2017 issued loans for a record high amount of EUR9.7 billion, the bank said in a statement.
The figure has been growing for four consecutive years, while in 2016 it was EUR 9.4 billion.
The number of projects that received funding from the EBRD increased to 412 against 378 a year earlier.
The largest recipient of loans was again Turkey, despite the fact that the figure decreased compared to 2016 to EUR 1.54 billion from EUR 1.92 billion. Egypt ranks second: investment in the country almost doubled, to EUR 1.41 billion. Ukraine ranks third with EUR 581 million in 2017.
It is noted that the volume of loans granted to projects in the field of “green” energy in the past year increased to EUR4.1 billion from EUR2.8 billion a year earlier. Thus, the share of such projects in the bank’s new loans was 43%, although the EBRD management previously expected to reach a figure above 40% by 2020.
Among the major projects is the construction of a solar power plant in the Egyptian city of Benban. It is expected that this power plant will reach a capacity of 1.8 gigawatts and will become the largest such project in the world.
In 2017, the EBRD for the first time started issuing loans to Lebanon, and also opened offices in Alexandria, Tangier, and Odesa.
Ukraine will consider the possibility of training industrial staff doe highly sought professions according to German standards, the press service of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has reported after a meeting of Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman with representatives of leading German companies operating in Ukraine.
“At the suggestion of Germany, the agenda of bilateral relations includes issues related to the facilitation of the training of industrial personnel in Ukraine for the most popular professions, according to German standards,” the report said.
In this context, the prime minister proposed further identifying the most urgent priorities for joint work and moving in specific directions and projects.
The government of Ukraine has extended until June 1, 2019 the powers of PJSC AvtoKrAZ (Kremenchuk, Poltava region) to export military goods of its own production and import military goods for its own production.
Such a decision is stipulated in cabinet resolution No. 1034 of December 20, 2017, which introduces amendments to resolution No. 1228 dated 1999.
The status of a special exporter was provided to AvtoKrAZ by the government in 2007. Subsequently, the term of powers was periodically extended.
PJSC AvtoKrAZ produces 33 basic models, more than 260 modifications and sets for KrAZ machinery for work in all sectors of the economy and in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The enterprise is part of the financial and industrial group of Kostiantyn Zhevaho.
