KYIV. Nov 16 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Grain Alliance (Stockholm, Sweden) with assets in Ukraine plans to invest about $2 million in the launch of a flour mill in Yahotyn (Kyiv region) in April-May 2018.
“Now we are working, we’ve already brought equipment for wheat processing into flour. We plan to start it in April-May,” Grain Alliance CEO Yevhen Radoveniuk said on the sidelines of the Ukrainian Agribusiness Forum in Kyiv.
According to him, investment in the plant will amount to about $2 million.
In addition, the company is developing two projects to create added value: production of seeds of soybeans, wheat, oats, rye, and production of liquid micro fertilizers.
“In the next year or two investment in seed production could reach $1-1.5 million, flour production about $2 million, and mineral fertilizers about $1 million,” the expert said.
As reported, Grain Alliance plans until 2020 to double elevator capacity, to 400,000 tonnes. Over this period, it plans to expand its land bank to 100,000 hectares, reach grain sales of 1 million tonnes.
Grain Alliance cultivates 53,000 hectares of agricultural land in Ukraine: in Kyiv, Cherkasy, Poltava, and Chernihiv regions.
KYIV. Nov 16 (Interfax-Ukraine) – PJSC ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih (Dnipropetrovsk region) has become the world’s first full-scale mining and metallurgical enterprise that holds two certificates: compliance with the sustainable development management system and the responsible sourcing system in accordance with the BES 6001 standard.
According to a company press release, the availability of these certificates will be an additional advantage of the company over competitors in the construction segment, when choosing suppliers of metal products for the most responsible construction projects around the world.
“Our enterprise has successfully passed two stages of the CARES certification audit, which was a significant moment for all of us. ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih has once again confirmed the high quality of its metal products and compliance with the most stringent standards. Due to the well-coordinated work of our entire team, we can be proud of this achievement. The availability of these certificates will significantly improve our competitiveness and strengthen the company’s position in the world markets of metal goods,” Deputy CEO for Marketing and Sales at ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih Anastasia Tatarulyeva said.
It is explained that the BES 6001 international standard is developed in the UK in order to assess the responsible selection of resources in the supply chain and in order to evaluate the company’s product strategy by the criteria of social, economic and environmental sustainability.
KYIV. Nov 16 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Grain Alliance (Stockholm, Sweden) with assets in Ukraine has invested UAH 75 million in the launch of a grain elevator in Nizhyn (Chernihiv region) in November 2017.
“We have launched the first phase of the grain elevator in Nizhyn in Chernihiv region with a storage capacity of 24,000 tonnes. Investment totals UAH 75 million. In general, its capacity would reach 72,000 tonnes. We plan to finish the project in coming two or three years,” Grain Alliance CEO Yevhen Radoveniuk said on the sidelines of the Ukrainian Agribusiness Forum in Kyiv.
The company also increased storage capacities of the elevator in Pyriatyn (Poltava region), to 100,000 tonnes.
“In Pyriatyn we finished the third phase and installed one more dryer. Last year we added 36,000 tonnes at this elevator and this year – 12,000 more tonnes,” Radoveniuk said.
He said that the total grain and oilseeds storage capacities of Grain Alliance are estimated at 250,000 tonnes.
“We do not plan to expand in the coming year. Additional investment will be injected in development of logistics near elevators,” he said.
As reported, Grain Alliance plans until 2020 to double elevator capacity, to 400,000 tonnes. Over this period, it plans to expand its land bank to 100,000 hectares, reach grain sales of 1 million tonnes.
Grain Alliance cultivates 53,000 hectares of agricultural land in Ukraine: in Kyiv, Cherkasy, Poltava, and Chernihiv regions.
KYIV. Nov 15 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Smart Energy invested UAH 247 million in January-September 2017, which is more than total investment in 2016 (UAH 242 million), Smart Energy CEO Serhiy Hlazunov said at a press conference in Kyiv on Tuesday.
He said that since 2011, investment in development of fields have reached UAH 1.7 billion.
Mining companies of Smart Energy produced 1.19 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe) in January-September 2017, including 163.4 million cubic meters of gas, 13,200 tonnes of gas condensate and 3,200 tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Last year the company produced 1.57 million boe, including 208.4 million cubic meters of gas, 16,900 tonnes of condensate and 9,600 tonnes of LPG.
Since 2011, production reached 9.334 million boe, including 1.27 billion cubic meters of gas, 109,000 tonnes of condensate and 24,000 tonnes of LPG.
Smart Energy’s companies paid UAH 580 million of taxes in January-September 2017 (UAH 738 million in 2016).
KYIV. Nov 15 (Interfax-Ukraine) – HarvEast agroholding plans to double investment in 2018.
“In 2017, we invested near $4 million. Next year it will be twice more. We will invest in a seed plant, irrigation and upgrade of fleet,” HarvEast CEO Dmytro Skorniakov said at the Ukrainian Agribusiness Forum in Kyiv on Tuesday.
He said that investment in the launch of the seed plant in Donetsk region would reach $4 million. The plant could be launched in August or September 2018.
In addition, the agroholding plans to expand irrigated areas to 5,000 ha in three or four years.
As reported, in 2017, the agroholding installed irrigation systems on 400 ha and in 2018 plans to install them on 700 more ha.
HarvEast Holding is building a seed plant with a capacity of 10 tonnes per hour. The plant will post-processing of seeds of leguminous and grain crops. Earlier the company had a seed plant, but it lost control over the enterprise due to hostilities in eastern Ukraine.
In 2017, HarvEast signed a cooperation agreement with Maisadour, the seed company.
Maisadour would provide parent sunflower lines for planting seeds to HarvEast. Then Maisadour will assign the number to the batch and process the seeds at own plant in Dnipropetrovsk region and then the seeds will be returned to HarvEast.
HarvEast’s core business is crop farming (growing wheat, sunflower, barley, perennial grasses, and corn) and dairy farming.
The holding was founded in 2011 on the basis of agricultural assets of Mariupol Illich Steel Works (Donetsk region).
Shareholders in HarvEast Holding are SCM and Smart-holding Group.
KYIV. Nov 15 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Western NIS Enterprise Fund (WNISEF) has announced the launch of U.Ventures, a new fund focusing on investing in early-stage technology startups from Ukraine and Moldova.
U.Ventures will invest in early stage companies, from Seed to Series A, with investments ranging from $100,000 to $500,000.
WNISEF told Interfax-Ukraine on Wednesday that at the first stage the fund will manage $5 million, although it is planned to expand it to $10 million.
“We founded U.Ventures to help ambitious startup teams navigate through the complex entrepreneurial journey from concept to significant shareholder value creation, working in a supportive and respectful manner as full lifecycle partners,” WNISEF President and CEO Jaroslawa Z. Johnson said.
According to the document, U.Ventures will back start-ups from Ukraine and Moldova that typically have a product with first traction, targeting large addressable markets, with a technology edge, driven by motivated teams with proven track record, and reputable co-investors.
To date U.Ventures has invested just over $2.3 million in 6 companies which are emerging leaders in their segments, quickly expanding into global markets.
Western NIS Enterprise Fund (WNISEF) is a $150 million regional fund, a pioneer in Ukraine and Moldova. WNISEF was funded by the U.S. government via the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Since its inception, WNISEF’s cumulative investments total over $168 million to 118 companies in Ukraine and Moldova.
In 2015, WNISEF has launched a $35 million legacy program focused on export promotion, local economic development, impact investing and economic leadership.
