Cocoa futures prices have fallen to 20-month lows, dropping by about half compared to recent peaks.
The most active cocoa bean futures contract in New York fell to $6,150 per tonne during the session. Last December, the contract traded above $12,000.
In London, cocoa futures are trading at £4,262 ($5,713) per ton, down 58% from the multi-year highs seen last April.
The decline in cocoa prices was the result of a reduction in consumer demand, which, in turn, was caused by a sharp increase in prices in recent years, the Financial Times writes, citing analysts. In addition, experts expect a good harvest of cocoa beans in the largest producing countries located in West Africa.
“Prices rose to crazy heights and could not remain at such levels for long,” said Rabobank analyst Oran van Dort. “Quotations have been falling for most of this year, but a particularly pronounced downward trend has been observed since mid-August.”
In Uzbekistan, 2,141 positions in the executive branch will be cut by November 1, 2025, due to the introduction of artificial intelligence technologies. The corresponding decree was signed by the country’s president, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and the document was published in the National Legislation Database.
According to the decree, the largest number of cuts will occur in the State Tax Committee (498 positions), the Ministry of Water Resources (224), the Ministry of Agriculture (200), the Ministry of Justice (197), the Ministry of Ecology (176), and the Ministry of Employment and Poverty Reduction (163).
In addition, the number of deputy heads in state committees, agencies, and inspectorates will be reduced: in some structures, the number of deputies will decrease from 11 to 7, from 12 to 6, and from 13 to 7, respectively.
The Ministry of Employment and the Federation of Trade Unions have been instructed to assist dismissed employees in finding employment and retraining.
The reform is part of a program to digitally transform public administration. In early 2025, President Mirziyoyev signed a law reforming the civil service system, which provides for the introduction of performance evaluations for civil servants and higher requirements for digital skills.
Earlier, Uzbekistan announced the creation of an Artificial Intelligence Development Alliance, which will coordinate the introduction of AI technologies in various industries and allocate funding for infrastructure development. About $100 million is planned to be allocated for these purposes.
The mass reduction of civil servants reflects the authorities’ policy of optimizing the bureaucratic apparatus and improving management efficiency through digitalization. At the same time, experts note that the success of the reform will depend on the quality of the technologies implemented and the state’s ability to provide social protection and retraining for the workers who are being laid off.
The IMC agricultural holding has completed the sunflower harvest from an area of 24.8 thousand hectares and collected over 81 thousand tons with a record yield of 3.3 t/ha, the agricultural holding’s press service reported on Facebook.
IMK cited data from the Ministry of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture, according to which, as of October 6, 2025, the average sunflower yield in Ukraine was 1.83 tons/ha.
“The sunflower harvest was not easy — the weather this year made its adjustments more than once. We exceeded the planned yield indicators, the average oil content reached a record 54%, and in some fields it reached an incredible 64%,” said IMC Chief Operating Officer Bohdan Kryvitsky.
IMK also completed the sowing of winter wheat for the 2026 harvest on an area of 21,000 hectares, which is 18% of the company’s total land bank.
“This year, due to problems with autopilot systems caused by the operation of electronic warfare equipment, we were forced to return to sowing with physical markers. Despite this, we worked in an organized manner and met the optimal deadlines,” Kryvitsky commented.
IMK Agroholding is an integrated group of companies operating in the Sumy, Poltava, and Chernihiv regions (northern and central Ukraine) in the segments of crop production, elevators, and warehouses. The land bank is 116,000 hectares, storage capacity is 554,000 tons, and the 2024 harvest is 864,000 tons.
IMK ended 2024 with a net profit of $54.54 million, compared to a net loss of $21.03 million in 2023. Revenue grew by 52% to $211.29 million, gross profit quadrupled to $109.10 million, and normalized EBITDA increased 25-fold to $86.11 million.
Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Kristalina Georgieva expressed concern about the growing amount of government debt during a speech on Wednesday ahead of the annual meeting of the IMF and the World Bank.
Global government debt is projected to exceed 100 percent of GDP by 2029 at the expense of both developed and emerging economies.
“Higher debt increases interest payments, puts pressure on borrowing costs, constrains other spending, and reduces the ability of governments to cushion shocks,” Georgieva said.
As a result, she said, aid from developed nations to the neediest countries unfortunately continues to decline.
The rate of increase in the global economy is expected to be around 3% in the medium term, down from 3.7% before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Global growth patterns have changed over the years, with China’s rate of recovery in particular steadily slowing, while India is emerging as a key engine of growth,” the IMF chief notes.
“Sustained growth requires higher private sector productivity. To achieve this, governments must ensure and protect the essential elements of a free market, including property rights, rule of law, reliable data, effective bankruptcy codes, strong financial sector supervision, and independent but accountable institutions,” she said.
Georgieva said that in too many countries, private sector productivity is “entangled in red tape” and startups are not emerging or cannot grow. “Competition is key and regulation should not allow or create an unfair advantage,” she believes.
“So today I am calling on all our member countries to undertake a regulatory housecleaning to unleash entrepreneurial energy backed by strong institutions and governance. Now is not the time to harm ourselves: now is the time to clean up,” the IMF chief said.
She also called on “my beloved, native Europe” to act.
“Consider appointing a ‘single market czar’ with real powers to push reforms forward. Eliminate border frictions in the labor market, trade in goods and services, energy and finance. Create a single European financial system. Create an energy union. Finalize your project. And watch the dynamics of the US private sector,” Georgieva said.
According to her, “one picture can say more than a thousand words.” “Look at how seven US mega-companies, none of which existed 51 years ago, boast market capitalizations larger than their European counterparts,” the IMF chief said.
Video analysis of the ratio of government debt to GDP is available on the channel of the analytical center Experts Club – https://youtube.com/shorts/skgFqF0c4Gw?si=oJPXANSuNNpWxsmY.
Diplomatic Legal Hub, a permanent consulting and legal center for foreign diplomatic institutions, businesses, and citizens, has been presented in Kyiv. It was created on the initiative of Barristers LLC in cooperation with Ukrainian lawyers. The platform is designed to provide continuous legal support to foreigners in Ukraine and reduce the administrative burden on embassies and companies, particularly in matters related to migration, criminal, economic, tax, and martial law issues.
Oleksiy Shevchuk, partner at Barristers and spokesperson for the Ukrainian National Bar Association (UNBA), emphasized that the hub will function as a practical mechanism for providing immediate assistance.
“Today we are presenting a platform where any representative of an embassy, foreign business, or foreign citizen can report their problem online 24/7 and receive appropriate support. Our team will use, among other things, universal jurisdiction tools to protect against persecution,” he said at a press conference at the Interfax-Ukraine agency on Wednesday.
According to Shevchuk, foreign citizens often remain without adequate state protection in wartime, so the team’s task is to provide them with fast and high-quality legal support.
Elvira Lazarenko, a partner at Barristers, outlined the hub’s service model.
“We provide support throughout the entire cycle — from crossing the border and proper documentation to resolving disputes with the migration service, customs, and in court. For at least the next two years, assistance to foreign citizens will be provided pro bono,” she said.
Yaroslav Kuts, lawyer, deputy head of the UNAA Information Policy Committee, and partner at a2kat, emphasized Ukraine’s openness to foreigners and investments and explained that the hub was created not only to provide assistance during martial law, but also with a view to post-war recovery, when business activity and migration are expected to grow. “
”Despite the war, we remain a country that is open with all our heart and soul to foreigners and foreign investment. The hub was created not only for the present — it is working with an eye toward post-war recovery, when the activity of foreign citizens and businesses will increase,” he added.
In turn, Oleksandr Oliinyk, managing partner of VIDSICH Law Firm and chairman of the Criminal Law and Procedure Committee of the Kharkiv Regional Bar Association, drew attention to the risks for companies with a foreign element.
“During the period of full-scale war, according to our data, more than 500 criminal proceedings have been opened against enterprises and individuals with a foreign component; in some cases, the indictment materials have already been sent to court. Ukraine has an institution of criminal liability for legal entities — sanctions may apply not only to officials but also to companies as a whole,” Oliynyk noted.
During the event, it was emphasized that the platform will also assist with practical issues, from opening bank accounts to contractual support, and is designed to close the “service gap,” as foreigners are currently forced to seek comprehensive assistance mainly in the private sector.
The organizers announced the creation of a hub secretariat and the availability of an online form for inquiries. Olga Tanyushkina, who initiated the approach whereby lawyers devote part of their time to providing free legal assistance to foreigners helping Ukraine, is named as the program’s ideologist.
Diplomatic Legal Hub was initiated by Barristers LLC in cooperation with Ukrainian lawyers and with the support of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency. Key areas include migration law, criminal and commercial proceedings, tax disputes, investment and financial transaction support. The platform is positioned as a legal support tool for diplomatic institutions, businesses, and citizens, available 24/7.
Source: https://interfax.com.ua/news/press-conference/1110786.html
Barristers, Diplomatic Legal Hub, Kuts, Oliynyk, UNAA, Лазаренко, ШЕВЧУК
