Estimated number of population in regions of Ukraine based on number of active mobile sim cards (mln)
Open4Business.com.ua
The Textile-Contact trading and production group of companies (TC-Group) plans to achieve a gross turnover in 2024 at approximately the level of 2023, but a slight decrease in this figure is possible, said the group’s owner, Alexander Sokolovsky.
“I don’t think there will be any growth, I don’t see any big jumps yet. But our production capacities are fully utilized, just like last year and in 2022,” he said at the Forbes Ukraine Business Breakfast on Wednesday.
Sokolovsky did not name the gross turnover figure for 2023, but noted that it is easy to calculate based on the fact that the UAH 443 million in taxes paid in 2023 is 14% of gross turnover (i.e., a turnover of about UAH 3.2 billion – IF-U).
At the same time, he reminded that in 2022 the group paid about UAH 285 million in taxes, which means that in 2023 this amount increased by 55%.
According to the owner of TK Group, the peak demand for light industry products was in 2022, when, after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the initial “chaos,” a lot of orders appeared, in particular from Europe, which wanted to support Ukraine.
“Even if it was possible to buy more conveniently and cheaper, they ordered from Ukraine. Unfortunately, this trend disappeared later, and many European customers are no longer interested in our offers because they are afraid to place orders in Ukraine, especially near the front line or near the border with Russia,” Sokolovsky explained.
According to him, the group’s main strategy, which allows it to compete in international markets, is to develop production in Ukraine rather than move it abroad.
“When many people were moving production to China or Southeast Asia, we, on the contrary, were developing here, even though we were told that it was wrong. But over the past five years, the number of our factories has grown from seven to 12, in particular, last year we added the production of bags, this year – shoes, and we are expanding the production of clothing,” Sokolovsky said.
At the same time, he said that a partner from Poland may appear in the shoe production project at the Chyhyryn factory, but he has not yet announced any details.
Answering the question about the share of exports in total turnover, he suggested that over the past two years it has increased to about 15%, but mostly these are the products of TK-Home Textile, which participates in tenders of international organizations, in particular in Germany, Poland, and the UK, competing with companies from Turkey, China, and other countries.
“But we are planning to enter Europe, and while we are developing a production base in Ukraine, we offer finished products to Europeans. Our first representative office in the EU, in Lithuania, is still developing a client base – we have not yet achieved much there because there are many bureaucratic procedures in Europe, but we plan to come up with a proposal to develop social clothing and sew it in Ukraine,” Sokolovsky said.
At the same time, the owner of the group said that the biggest problem for the group is human resources (the majority of employees are women).
“We see that no matter what conditions you create and what salaries you promise, many women leave because they are uncomfortable in terms of blackouts, safety, many are nervous and leave because they are scared,” Sokolovsky said.
Speaking about the group’s plans for the heating season, he said that the companies mostly use generators, and the group does not have the funds to purchase, for example, gas-piston stations.
“To buy such a station, you need about EUR 850 thousand. We don’t have that kind of money, so we are currently using generators,” said the owner of the group of companies.
At wholesale markets of Ukraine this week there was recorded a decrease in selling prices for pears from local farms, analysts of the EastFruit project report. The reason for this price situation, according to market participants, is the seasonal increase in the supply of these products on the market, while the demand of wholesale companies for these fruits remains inactive.
Thus, today pears from local farms on the Ukrainian market are offered for sale in large wholesale at UAH 15-30/kg ($0.36-0.73/kg), which is on average 25% cheaper than a week earlier. According to the results of regular monitoring, prices for pears in the current season continue to gradually decline, starting from the middle of August this year, which is a consequence of constantly increasing supply of products on the market.
It should be reminded that in the current season due to milder weather conditions in winter-spring period in Ukraine, the average yield in the pear segment has significantly increased. As a result, a significant increase in production had a negative impact on the price situation on the market. As an exception here we can single out Vinnitsa region of Ukraine, where in spring of the current year producers lost 30% and more of future fruit crop due to frost and hail. But in general, this had little effect on the overall market condition in this segment.
If we compare the situation on the pear market in Ukraine with other countries of the project monitoring region, it is in this country that the most affordable pears are currently on sale. This fact once again shows the growing interest of Ukrainian gardeners in growing these fruits in the last few seasons.
It should be noted that today the selling prices for pears in Ukraine are already on average 32% cheaper than in the same period last year. You can get more detailed information about the development of pears and other fruit and vegetable products market in Ukraine by subscribing to the operative analytical weekly – EastFruit Ukraine Weekly Pro. Detailed information about the product can be found here.
Source: https://east-fruit.com/novosti/tseny-na-ukrainskie-grushi-na-32-nizhe-proshlogodnikh/
Leaders of the insurance market of Ukraine on the collected premiums in January-July 2024 became insurance companies SG “TAS” (UAH 2,553 billion), “ARKS” (UAH 2,371 billion), “Unica” (UAH 2,329 billion), “INGO” (UAH 1,952 billion) and IC “VUSO” (UAH 1,732 billion), according to the website of the National Association of Insurers of Ukraine (NASU). It is noted that in comparison with 6M2024 IC “Unica” dropped to the third position from the second, and IC “ARKS” took its place; IC “USG” left the top five from the fifth position, allowing IC “VUSO” to enter the top 5.
There have been no changes in the top-5 in the market of compulsory motor third party liability insurance in terms of premiums collected and following the results of seven months the leaders are SG “TAS” (UAH 775,3 mln), “Oranta” (UAH 739,3 mln), “Knyazha VIG” (UAH 570,6 mln), “ROM” (UAH 360,4 mln) and “VUSO” (UAH 244,4 mln).
The leaders in the market of “Green Card” on collected premiums for the specified period are “TAS” (UAH 754,5 mln), “USG” (UAH 405,5 mln), “Knyazha VIG” (UAH 372,1 mln), “ROM” (UAH 310,5 mln) and “Oranta” (UAH 227 mln) (no changes).
There are also no changes in the CASCO market: as before, it is headed by IC “ARKS” (UAH 1.256 billion), “Arsenal Insurance” (UAH 1.034 billion), “Unica” (UAH 622.6 million), “VUSO” (UAH 531.3 million) and “USG” (UAH 495.1 million).
At the same time, there have been slight changes among the leaders in voluntary medical insurance: the leader, as well as earlier top-5 in this segment, is IC Unica (UAH 1,018 billion), followed by IC Universalna (UAH 560 million), IC INGO (UAH 422,7 million). IC “VUSO” (UAH 328,4 mln) has risen from the fifth position to the fourth, and “ARKS” (UAH 324,5 mln) has taken its place.
In July 2024 there were no changes in the leaders of the life insurance market. As before, the first position is occupied by IC “MetLife” (UAH 1.506 billion), IC “TAS” (UAH 388.4 million), “Grave Life” (UAH 311 million), “Unica Life” (UAH 230.9 million) and “ROM Life” (UAH 217.1 million).
As reported, as of the end of July 2024, 69 risk insurers operate in the insurance market of Ukraine, 12 specialize in life insurance, one – with a special status (“Export Credit Agency”, ECA).
PJSC Kyivvodokanal and the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine are preparing for the pollution coming along the Desna River to Kyiv, which is forecast to reach Kyiv region on September 14-16, but treatment facilities should cope with it, said the Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Svetlana Hrynchuk.
“If initially Ukrgidrometcenter predicted that the pollution will reach the water intakes of Kievshchyna somewhere on September 10-11, now this forecast has already shifted to 14-16. It should also be said that pollution is not recorded in Kyiv region,” she said on the air of the Unified National Telethon on Wednesday.
The Minister added that now the Department sees an improvement in the situation, water treatment facilities of the water channel should cope with this type of pollution.
“Also installed additional nets, additional such physical barriers to prevent and dead fish, in order to additionally not polluted,” – said Grinchuk.
According to her, the pollution recorded in the areas of the Desna River in Chernihiv region is no longer as homogeneous as it was before, and is fixed point by point.
According to Hrynchuk, to help all living things in the river, in particular fish, aeration units have been installed. Three of them worked in the Chernihiv area. It was decided to install two more such systems additionally from September 10.
“That is, to date the situation is controlled, we carry out constant monitoring and (take – IF-U) those measures that can improve the situation,” – summarized Hrynchuk.
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković has announced the continuation of military support for Ukraine, despite threats from Russia.
“When you have friends in need, you show your friendship, your solidarity and your support in full. This is what we do. This is what we will continue to do in the future, despite all the threats you might mention,” Plenkovic said at a press conference within the framework of the Crimean Platform in Kyiv on Wednesday, answering the question whether he was not afraid of threats from Russia while providing military support to Ukraine.
According to an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent, the Croatian prime minister added that his country “is a NATO member, a member of the European Union, a country that knows when the right time comes to help our friends.”
“We will also support you in rebuilding your energy sector by providing you with the specific know-how that Croatia has in the field of demining. This is a huge task, and that is why we held the first International Conference of Heads of Mine Action last year in Croatia,” Plenković said.
“And, of course, what few countries can provide you with is the experience of our state prosecutors, our judges, our specialized police units in prosecuting war crimes,” he added.
The head of the Croatian government also noted that Croatia continues to accept refugees and war veterans from Ukraine for treatment and accommodation in its veterans’ centers, “and we will continue to do so, as well as to accept groups of Ukrainian children visiting Croatia.”
“We will continue to help you and assist you with military assistance, political assistance, our diplomatic initiatives, we are very happy to host you in Dubrovnik in early October, where we will hold a summit between Ukraine and the countries of Southeast Europe… You can count on Croatia in all the issues you face here today,” Plenkovic added.
As previously reported on the Croatian government’s website, during Plenkovic’s visit to Kyiv, a new package of bilateral assistance from Croatia to Ukraine was presented.
