Business news from Ukraine

TOP-30 COUNTRIEST BY SHARE OF UKRAINIAN EXPORTS/IMPORTS

TOP-30 countriest by share of Ukrainian exports, January-May 2016

20

Excluding the temporarily occupied territories of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the city of Sevastopol and part of the anti-terrorist operation zone. Source: State Statistics Services

 

TOP-30 countriest by share of Ukrainian imports, January-May 2016

21

Excluding the temporarily occupied territories of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the city of Sevastopol and part of the anti-terrorist operation zone. Source: State Statistics Services

4G TECHNOLOGY FIRST TESTED IN UKRAINE

KYIV. Aug 1 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Intelltelecom (the Giraffe trademark) jointly with Ericsson and Huawei on July 29 first tested LTE TDD 4G technology in the 2,300 MHz range in Ukraine.

The company said in a press release that the highest speed of radio interface, voice and video calls and online high resolution video were tested at several terminals at once.

“During the test the peak speed was 220 megabit per second. The highest possible speed with combination of 20 MHz + 20 MHz in the 2,300 MHz range could be 224 megabit per second,” the company said.

Voice calls from LTE smartphone to another LTE smartphone, a GSM smartphone serviced by one of the Ukrainian mobile communications operators and a fixed communications phone were made.

The company said that 77 commercial networks in 43 countries are using LTE TDD standard now.

As reported, in February 2016 Ukrainian communications operators, including Intelltelecom, the National Commission for Communications Regulation (NCCR), Ukrainian State Center of Radio Frequencies (UCRF) and the research institute at the Defense Ministry signed an agreement with Britain’s Analysys Mason to conduct a study for the radio frequency spectrum for the implementation of the LTE communications standard (4G).

According to the public register, the founder and former president of Kyivstar Ihor Lytovchenko recently became the owner of Intellectual Communications LLC via Cypriot Magnilda Holdings Limited.

PROZORRO STATE PROCUREMENT SYSTEM BECOMES MANDATORY IN UKRAINE FROM AUG 1

KYIV. Aug 1 (Interfax-Ukraine) – All state procurements in Ukraine shall be carried out with the use of the ProZorro e-procurement system from August 1, a posting on the Economic Development and Trade Ministry’s website reads.

“Over the 12 months the ProZorro pilot project has been in effect, savings have exceeded UAH 1 billion (the total sum of the funds saved as of today is UAH 2.6 billion). Therefore we call on all responsible customers to use ProZorro when even handling purchases worth small amounts of money. This is easy, user-friendly and advantageous,” the ministry quoted Deputy Minister Maksym Nefyodov as saying.

The posting says that as of April 2016, the state agencies, large state-owned companies and natural monopolies switched over to the use of the system for tenders with amounts exceeding UAH 200,000 for goods and services and UAH 1.5 million for works.

All local government authorities, municipally owned enterprises and other organizations that use taxpayers’ assets should start using the ProZorro system from August 1.

However, the ministry says, that the use of the system for procurements worth up to UAH 200,000 for goods and services and up to UAH 1.5 million for works is “voluntarily, but very preferable.”

“In 1.5 years, the ProZorro team has conducted over 250 workshops under the public sector’s largest training program. We’ve successfully launched an online course on the Prometheus free platform, created a special website for the customers http://infobox.prozorro.org/, where they could learn more about the system and its rules,” Nefyodov said.

IDS BORJOMI UKRAINE TO INVEST OVER UAH 138 MLN IN PURCHASE OF MINERAL WATER BOTTLING LINES

KYIV. Aug 1 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Private joint-stock company Industrial and Distribution Systems (ISD), part of IDS Borjomi Ukraine, will supply equipment worth over UAH 138 million to Myrhorod mineral water plant and Morshyn mineral water plant Oscar.

According to a report of Oscar plant, a 1.5-liter PET mineral water bottling line with a capacity of 44,000 bottles per hour will be bought. The cost of the line is UAH 70.94 million.

Industrial and Distribution Systems will supply a 1.5-liter PET mineral water bottling line with a capacity of 34,000 bottles per hour to Myrhorod mineral water plant. The cost of the line is UAH 67.54 million.

IDS Borjomi Ukraine was founded late 2004 after uniting Myrhorod mineral water plant, Morshyn mineral water plant Oscar, Industrial and Distribution Systems and ISD Aqua-Service. In 2008, IDS Borjomi Ukraine finished consolidation of Truskavets water bottling plants and created Truskavets mineral water plant.

IDS Group, which is part of IDS Borjomi International, produces mineral water carrying the labels Morshinska, Mirgorodska, Truskavetska, Stary Myrhorod, Alaska, Sorochynska. It is an exclusive importer of Borjomi mineral water to Ukraine.

UKRAINE’S AGRICULTURE MINISTRY INCREASES GRAIN HARVEST FORECAST FOR 2016 BY 1 MLN TONNES

KYIV. Aug 1 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Grain harvest in Ukraine could be 61 million tonnes, according to assessments of Ukraine’s Agricultural Policy and Food Ministry. This is 1 million tonnes more than the forecast presented earlier.

“According to tentative data from the regions, gross grain harvest in Ukraine in 2016 would be within 61 million tonnes. This would completely satisfy the needs and state food security. A good potential for supplies to foreign markets retains,” the press service of the ministry reported last week.

The ministry said that as of July 29, 2016, Ukraine threshed 29 million tonnes of early grain and leguminous crops on 7.6 million hectares. Average yield is 37.9 centners per ha (34 centners per ha in 2015).

Some 19.9 million tonnes of wheat were threshed on 4.9 million ha with the yield of 40.8 centners per ha.

Some 8.2 million tonnes of barley were threshed on 2.5 million ha with the yield of 33.1 centners per ha (29.2 centners per ha in 2015). Around 705,000 tonnes of peas were harvested from 223,000 ha (93% of the target) with the yield of 31.7 centners per ha (22.3 centners per ha).

Some 153,000 tonnes of rye were threshed on 60,000 ha with the yield of 25.7 centners per ha, and some 78,000 tonnes of oats were threshed on 31,000 ha with the yield of 25.2 centners per ha.

Some 1 million tonnes of winter rapeseeds were threshed on 395,000 ha (87%) with the yield of 26.2 centners per ha.

POROSHENKO ENDORSES RATIFICATION OF PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT BY UKRAINE

KYIV. Aug 1 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has signed a bill into law on Paris Climate Agreement ratification, which was passed by Ukraine’s parliament on July 14, 2016.

Ukraine signed the Paris agreement in New York on April 22, 2016. This agreement strengthens the implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) which deals with greenhouse gases emissions mitigation and which was signed by Ukraine in 1997.

According to the document, Ukraine will not have any financial obligations under the agreement. As under Kyoto Protocol, financial assistance is likely to be attracted through mechanisms that provide for the implementation of voluntary cooperation in order to increase climate change prevention efficiency.

The agreement also provides for the establishment of a mechanism that will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“The ratification of the Paris agreements shows that our government is serious about climate change and is willing to act decisively to address it… it will promote a positive international image of Ukraine … it will give a clear signal for cooperation with international organizations and technical assistance projects,”, Ukraine’s Ecology Minister Ostap Semerak said when presenting the bill on the ratification of the Paris protocol in the Verkhovna Rada.