KYIV. Oct 5 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of U.S. General Electric Transportation Jamie Miller at a meeting in Kyiv discussed the prospect of U.S. involvement in the modernization of public joint-stock company Ukrzaliznytsia.
“During the meeting, the parties discussed the prospects of U.S. participation in the modernization of PJSC Ukrzaliznytsia, in particular, the renovation of the fleet of locomotives of the Ukrainian enterprise,” the press service of the head of state reported on Tuesday.
Poroshenko expressed hope that further cooperation with General Electric Transportation would help enhance transport, transit and export potential of our country. He said that strategic cooperation with General Electric Transportation with localization of production on the Ukrainian territory will be a breakthrough in bilateral cooperation in the field of modernization of the transport sector of Ukraine.
The president also said that the fruitful development of a political dialogue between Ukraine and the United States, which effectively promotes the intensification of bilateral economic cooperation, including the involvement of leading U.S. companies in Ukraine.
KYIV. Oct 5 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Agricultural enterprises received UAH 11.58 million for August-September 2017 under the program on partial compensation for agricultural machinery made in Ukraine bought by farmers as budget subsidy.
The Agricultural Policy and Food Ministry said that 68 enterprises filed for compensation in September. The total sum reached UAH 10.856 million and was sent to banks to send the money to farmers.
In August, applications for receiving compensations by six enterprises in the amount of UAH 727,400 were sent to banks.
As reported, the Cabinet of Ministers announced UAH 4 billion of subsidies in agriculture in 2017.
KYIV. Oct 5 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Farming associations have asked the Ukrainian prime minister and lawmakers to drop the plans to halve subsidies for agricultural producers announced in the draft national budget for 2018, according to a posting on the website of the Ukrainian Agrarian Council.
In particular, the associations are alarmed with the proposal to cut the subsidies for agricultural producers from UAH 4 billion to UAH 2 billion in the draft national budget for 2018.
In contrast to other types of assistance from the state, subsidies are paid automatically, minimizing corruption. Statistics data about the stop of declining the numbers of livestock at farms in 2017 is evidence of the effectiveness of the subsidies.
On the other hand, the farmers draw the attention of government officials to an unjustified increase in spending on other items. The amount of funds for partial compensation of the cost of agricultural machinery made in Ukraine is planned to increase from UAH 500 million to UAH 945 million.
According to associations’ estimates, this year the use of these funds will not exceed UAH 250 million. For reaching the amount that is proposed in the budget, the total value of manufactured and sold Ukrainian agricultural machinery should increase 2.5-fold next year.
In addition, the associations said that the planned spending under the program on support of livestock by the state of UAH 1.6 billion also exceed the need. The associations proposed to reduce the planned amount of expenses under this program to UAH 700 million.
According to the calculations of the Association of Milk Producers and the Association of Pig Breeders of Ukraine, the total amount of required financing is up to UAH 400 million.
Representatives of the Ukrainian Agrarian Union, Agrarian Union of Ukraine, Ukrainian Agrarian Confederation, Ukrainian Agribusiness Club and the Union of Poultry Breeders of Ukraine signed the address to the prime minister.
KYIV. Oct 5 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The bill on agricultural land turnover in Ukraine should be passed in 2018, the World Bank has said.
According to the World Bank’s Special Focus Note on reforming land markets in Ukraine, the key design principles of the bill on agricultural land turnover should be the provision of individuals, legal entities s (with temporary restrictions), municipalities and the state with the right to buy land. Banks can own foreclosed land temporarily; they need to liquidate via e-auction within a certain time frame.
The World Bank said that safeguards in the bill should be the following: no foreign ownership; minimum price; temporary maximum size limit of land ownership for individuals & legal entities; limit on concentration ownership/control; and transparent land management plans for state and communal land.
“The moratorium on agriculture land sales is a major impediment to attracting investment and unlocking productivity in Ukraine’s agricultural sector,” the World Bank said.
According to the document, land reform is critical to improve living standards for the Ukrainian people, by driving higher economic growth and incomes for the population.
The World Bank said that the rental price of agricultural land per hectare is $37 in Ukraine, compared to $195 in France, $219 in Germany, $279 in Bulgaria, and $672 in the Netherlands.
The bank said that the moratorium also undermines the flow of financing to small and medium producers because land cannot be used as collateral. The low registration of state agricultural land is also a major source of nontransparent practices and lost productivity.
As reported, since 2002, Ukraine has imposed a moratorium on sale and purchase of farmland.
KYIV. Oct 3 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said he is convinced that state nature protection services and local authorities should support not only the preservation of forests and national parks, but also contribute to the development of ecological tourism in the country.
“As a rule, the territories with the overwhelming majority of national reserves are depressed. Employment in these territories is extremely low, and I think that in such circumstances, instead of trying to cut down a forest, taking part of the reserve and leaving a desert, we should help organize ecological tourism. This will create jobs,” the presidential press service quoted him as saying at a meeting on forestry reform and improvement of state environmental policy in Ivano-Frankivsk on Friday, September 29.
Poroshenko stated his readiness to support a special program, if necessary, for the development of ecological tourism.
“If we need a national program for ecological tourism, I’m waiting for proposals. We can resolve this issue quickly at the governmental and legislative level. These are the conditions for protecting the natural environment through the format of a national park,” he said.
According to the president, it is expedient for Ukraine to study the foreign experience of organizing national parks, which generate a large-scale tourist flow and positively influence the development of adjacent territories and the filling of local budgets.
KYIV. Oct 3 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Windkraft Ukraine LLC has launched the first stage of Novotroyitska wind farm (Kherson region) with the installed capacity of 41 MW, the press service of the State Agency of Ukraine for Energy Efficiency and Energy Saving.
The farm has Vestas turbines. The farm’s capacity will be increased to 70 MW in the future. Ukrgasbank is taking part in the financing of the project.
As reported, Windkraft Ukraine operated a wind power farm with a capacity of 31 MW in Kherson region.
