KYIV. Sept 15 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Investments in the development of the livestock and crop growing sector of Astarta agricultural holding could reach $80 million by the end of 2020, Zeljko Erceg, the operations director of the holding, has told journalists in Poltava region.
“About $80 million for the next three years is our plan for investment in the agricultural industry: it’s livestock and crop production. There are different projects from irrigation, changes in technology in crop production, construction of elevators and new livestock complexes and our plans that are now at the stage of intensive studying: this is milk processing,” he said.
Astarta in 2016 began a comprehensive reorganization of the management system at dairy farms to improve the efficiency and profitability of production. At present it has been implemented at Dovzhenko agricultural firm (Poltava region), where 50% of all milk is produced and more than 40% of cattle of the agroholding is held. In addition to dairy farms, the farm operates a heifer complex with 5,200 animals.
According to the expert, Dovzhenko farm has launched a center for preparation and distribution of feed for cattle (a feed center) in the village of Shyshaky (Poltava region). It is designed to provide feed for 10,000 animals. Its capacity is 300 tonnes of feed mix per day.
KYIV. Sept 15 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Former prime minister of Lithuania, the co-author of the “Marshal Plan” for Ukraine Andrius Kubilius has said that a donor conference to finance the project could be held in February or March 2018.
“Discussions in the European Parliament [of the “Marshal Plan” for Ukraine] will continue until late November. Then the Eastern Partnership Summit [is to take place]. By this time we are to make our homework… In February or March next year a first conference of donors who will take part in the “Marshal Plan” is planned,” he said at a briefing in Kyiv on Thursday.
First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economic Development and Trade Stepan Kubiv said at the briefing that on Thursday a meeting of the Ukrainian-Lithuanian commission for the project was held. Then ministries and agencies will analyze the key directions of promising development until 2020, discus them with the profile associations and by September 25, 2017 when the second meeting of the commission is to take place, the key five priorities are to be determined.
He said that it is planned to create an “investment pool” consisting of funds of European financial institutions that will be ready to support the initiative.
The Ukrainian-Lithuanian draft “Marshal Plan” for Ukraine was presented in European institutions and will be studied by the European Commission, Head of the Ukrainian Delegation to the EU Mykola Tochytsky said earlier.
KYIV. Sept 14 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in September revised downwards its forecast for sunflower production in Ukraine in 2017 by 500,000 tonnes compared to the August forecast, to 14 million tonnes.
According to a report on the USDA website, the projected sunflower oil production in 2017/18 agricultural year (September-August) was decreased by 172,000 tonnes, to 5.85 million tonnes and that for exports – by 150,000 tonnes, to 5.25 million tonnes.
The USDA predicted that sunflower cake in Ukraine in the new season would be 5.617 million tonnes and its exports – 4.7 millionn tonnes.
The USDA expects that in 2016/17 agri-year Ukraine will supply 5.65 million tonnes of sunflower oil to foreign markets with 5.977 million tonnes of produced oil.
KYIV. Sept 14 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Asset management company ResponsAbility Participations AG (Switzerland) has filed a package of documents to the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) to agree on the acquisition of a non-controlling stake in Bank Lviv, the bank said on the website.
“Bank Lviv on September 12, 2017 submitted necessary documentation to the National Bank of Ukraine to agree on the investment of ResponsAbility Participations AG, a new strategic shareholder, an independent Swiss asset management company,” the report said.
Bank Lviv was registered in 1991. Its largest shareholder as of January 1, 2017 was New Progress Holding LLC (99.8857%), the largest beneficiary was citizen of Iceland Margeir Petursson.
Bank Lviv was the 44th among 88 banks operating in the country as of July 1, 2017 in terms of total assets (UAH 1.484 billion), according to the National Bank of Ukraine.
KYIV. Sept 14 (Interfax-Ukraine) – IMF First Deputy Managing Director David Lipton has said that Ukraine should take advantage of the growth of the world economy, the Ukrainian government’s press service has reported.
According to the report, Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman met with Lipton in Kyiv on Wednesday.
According to Lipton, the world economy is growing now, and now it is a moment of opportunities for Ukraine that can and should be used.
He said that, in his opinion, Ukraine demonstrates good results in resolving the priority economic and social issues. According to Lipton, the fact that the government has managed to stabilize the situation over the past year creates good prerequisites for switching to more dynamic economic growth.
Groysman briefed Lipton about the situation with the implementation of educational, pension and medical reforms and the reform of the management of state-owned enterprises, as well as the drafting of the state budget for next year.
Following the talks on Wednesday, the sides agreed to continue cooperation to outline the next steps on the IMF’s financial support for reforms in Ukraine.
KYIV. Sept 14 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers has adopted the concept for the state program of developing farming in Ukraine proposed by the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food.
According to the announcement, the decision was made at a cabinet meeting in Kyiv on Wednesday.
The program aims to develop small and medium-size businesses in rural areas, create new jobs and develop rural areas in the country.
First Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Maksym Martyniuk said realization of the program would in three years increase the amount of jobs in rural areas fivefold and would annually restore agricultural equipment by 10%.
“I hope reequipping will take place using domestically produced agricultural machinery and, to that end, propose a mechanism to promote same. If agricultural domestic machinery compensation is currently 20%, it will rise to 40% if offered by the Association of Farmers. This will stimulate demand as domestic agricultural machinery is cost competitive,” Martyniuk said.
Also planned under the concept are auctions for the right to rent land for orchards, vineyards, beekeeping and growing organic produce.
The concept is also aimed at stimulating the acquisition and merger of small farms.
