KYIV. June 9 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine shipped 3,271 tonnes of cheese onto foreign markets in January-May, 2017, which was 22.7% higher than the same period of 2016.
The shipments increased by 48.5% in monetary terms, to $11.35 million, Ukraine’s State Fiscal Service said in its customs statistics reports.
Cheese imports in the period under review totaled 3,563 tonnes, an increase by 35.8% compared to the same period last year. The country imported products worth $15.7 million (imports in January-May 2016 were estimated at $10.7 million).
At the same time, exports of butter from Ukraine in January-May 2017 increased by 3.2 times, to 8,538 tonnes. Shipments in monetary terms amounted to almost $31.1 million against $7.4 million in January-May 2016. Butter imports in the five months fell almost 73.7%: from 658 tonnes ($ 2.13 million) to 174 tonnes ($891,000).
Exports of condensed milk and cream in January-May 2017 decreased by 5.8%, to 18,300 tonnes. Ukraine supplied condensed milk and cream to the tune of $31.8 million, which was 19.6% more than in January-May 2016 ($26.6 million).
As was reported, Ukraine in 2016 exported 8,050 tonnes of cheese, which was 25.6% less than in 2015. Imports of cheeses increased by 31.2%, to 7,060 tonnes.
TIU Canada Ltd. will break ground on a 10-megawatt solar energy plant in Nikopol on Friday, June 9 at 14:00 on the grounds of the Nikopol Ferroalloy plant. TIU is owned and operated by the family office of Refraction Asset Management (RAM), an investment manager based in Calgary, Alberta Canada. The Nikopol solar energy project is TIU Canada’s first investment in the Ukrainian market.
Media is invited. The event will feature the official groundbreaking ceremony, and the Q&A session with Michael Yurkovich, the President of RAM during the buffet reception. To register for the event, please contact Ivan Bachynsky +380-93-064-8292.
KYIV. June 8 (Interfax-Ukraine) – It will only be possible to lease state-owned farming land at auction for up to seven years, and the starting auction price cannot be lower than 8% of the appraisal norm, according to a Cabinet of Ministers resolution adopted on Wednesday.
Ukraine’s State Service of Geodesy, Cartography and Cadastre said it would also auction previously leased land plots, thereby liquidating the scheme under which they were divvied up into two-hectare plots and doled out freely as so-called personal farming plots, First Deputy Agricultural Policy and Food Minister Maksym Martyniuk has said.
Martyniuk said today’s auction rates for state-owned land ranges between 13-15%, and the average rate for renting state-owned and privately-owned land is from 5-8%.
Martyniuk said the resolution would introduce one more condition – the area of land given freely will be limited to 25% of the land plots leased at auction, and priority will be given to participants in the Anti-Terrorism Operation by rural local councils’ consent.
According to Martyniuk, the State Service of Geodesy, Cartography and Cadastre will bring previously signed agreements into compliance with the new rules.
He said the measures should increase income for local budgets by UAH 1 billion by the end of 2018.
Martyniuk said before adoption of the resolution there did not exist any coherent procedure, noting that this led to unlawful activities. He said 62 heads of regional and district administrations were sacked in 2015-2016, while 53 officials were arrested, including 21 for bribery.
According to the first deputy minister, the majority of agreements were concluded for a maximum 49-year term with minimal 3% rates, and in 2016 the number of free two-hectare land plot transfers for personal farmer use increased.
Martyniuk said prior to 2013 regional district offices concluded 40,000 rental agreements with rates less than 3% for a total of 300,000 hectares.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman emphasized that renting land for agricultural purposes must take place on a competitive basis.
KYIV. June 8 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group, is to invest up to $20 million in a direct investment fund, Emerging Europe Growth Fund III, L.P. (EEGF III), registered in Delaware in the United States and launched by Horizon Capital Advisors, LLC for investment mostly in Ukraine.
The IFC board approved the project at a meeting on June 5, IFC said in a statement.
IFC’s investment will not exceed 20% of the total fund size. Small- and medium-sized growing enterprises are expected to be main recipients of EEGF III investment.
IFC recalls it is an investor of EEGF II fund, and participation in the new fund will help Horizon complete individually launched investment projects.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) can be engaged as a co-investor of the fund, the statement said.
As reported, U.S.-based Overseas Private Investment Corporation in June 2016 reported the disbursement of up to $37.5 million to EEGF III fund, launched by Horizon Capital, for up to 10 years.
The fund with a declared volume of $150 million will focus on medium-sized fast-growing, export-oriented companies in Ukraine and Moldova with the potential to become local or regional market leaders. It is assumed that the fund will make investment by buying a minority stake in such companies. At the same time, if necessary, it is also possible to provide seed capital for start-ups, acquire businesses or participate in privatization.
KYIV. June 8 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Kyiv city head Vitali Klitschko and Berlin Mayor Michael Mueller on Tuesday signed a joint statement on cooperation and partnership between the capitals of Ukraine and Germany, the Kyiv city state administration has reported.
“We appreciate the assistance of our friends who come to Kyiv, invest funds and implement projects. We understand how important it is to partner with one of Europe’s leading cities,” on Tuesday said.
“I am very pleased with the deepening of bilateral relations between Kyiv and Berlin in the ‘partner cities’ format and the signing of a joint statement on cooperation for establishing friendly, sustainable and mutually beneficial relations for the benefit of residents of both capitals,” he added.
During the meeting, Klitschko stressed that the cooperation between Kyiv and Berlin had been going on for a long time.
In his words, the city authorities’ priority is to ensure their transparency and effective work, fight corruption, bring the municipality to a higher level of interaction with residents of Kyiv, introduce the Smart City system and invite investors in the city. In this direction, he said, Kyiv very closely cooperates with the German government and Berlin in particular.
According to the signed document, the parties identified the existing common challenges in the context of urban development – urban development, transport, health care.
Klitschko and Mueller agreed to instruct the city administrations to exchange information and use it when planning their own projects. In addition, Kyiv and Berlin will be able to exchange expert opinions on projects that are planned for implementation in the capitals.
While commenting the document, Mueller in turn said that the main task of signing the memorandum was to deepen and extend ties between the cities in key areas of urban economy.
KYIV. June 8 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Some UAH 6.5 billion will be used to support agricultural producers and UAH 1 billion to compensate for the cost of agricultural machinery in 2018, Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman has said.
“This year we foresaw UAH 550 million for the support of Ukrainian agricultural machinery producers because we want the machinery to be manufactured in our country to create jobs and every year increase this support in Ukraine. We believe in 2018 this support will be UAH 6.5 billion, we will spend another UAH 1 billion on agricultural machinery,” the prime minister said at the opening of the ХХІХ Agro 2017 agro-industrial exhibition.
According to him, 1% of proceeds from all agricultural production are to be reinvested in agriculture.
The premier said 40% of the country’s forex earnings fall on the agrarian sector.
