Communal enterprise Elektroavtotrans (Ivano-Frankivsk), together with the European Investment Bank (EIB), has announced a tender for the purchase of new trolleybuses with a possibility of making at least 10 km in off-wire mode with a length of 16.5 meters to 18.54 meters (articulated) for EUR 3.615 million.
According to the procurement announcement posted in ProZorro, it is planned to supply new low-floor dual-mode trolleybuses of a three-axle model with a width of no more than 2.5 meters excluding side mirrors and a height of no more than 3.8 meters. Total passenger capacity is at least 120 people, the number of seats is 38, including four seats for priority category passenger and the number of places for wheelchair is at least one.
The procurement also includes spare parts, maintenance equipment and related services.
The first delivery of the dual-mode trolleybuses is scheduled for no later than 36 weeks from the date of receipt of the advance payment, the execution of the contract is no later than 56 weeks.
According to the announcement, price is not the only award criterion and all criteria are stated only in the procurement documents.
The time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate is until March 16, 2022.
The trolleybuses for Ivano-Frankivsk are procured within the framework of the Ukraine Urban Public Transport Project at the expense of the EIB and a grant from the European Union.
According to local media reports, the city planned to purchase at least eight dual-mode electric buses for these funds.
The Ukraine Urban Public Transport Project is a financial agreement between Ukraine and the EIB, ratified in April 2017. It provides for the implementation of 21 subprojects for the development of urban passenger transport in 11 cities.
Retail trade turnover in Ukraine in December 2021 increased by 5.1% compared to the same month in 2020 in comparable prices, while in November the growth was 5.8%, the State Statistics Service reported.
According to its data, in December, compared to November 2021, retail trade turnover increased by 19.3%.
The agency reported that in 2021, compared to 2020, retail trade turnover increased by 10.7%, to UAH 1.443 trillion.
The largest growth in the retail trade turnover of enterprises (legal entities and individual entrepreneurs) in 2021 compared to 2020 was recorded in Chernivtsi (by 25.7%), Ternopil (by 23.2%), Zakarpattia (by 20.7%), Vinnytsia (by 18.5%), Lviv (by 17.3%), Poltava (by 15.1%), Rivne (by 15%), Zhytomyr (by 14.2%), Cherkasy (by 13.3%), Chernihiv regions (by 12.4%).
According to the State Statistics Service, the leaders in absolute terms of retail turnover in 2021 were Kyiv city (UAH 279.124 billion), Dnipropetrovsk (UAH 132.258 billion), Kyiv (UAH 120.074 billion), Odesa (UAH 107.05 billion), Kharkiv (UAH 97.838 billion) and Lviv (UAH 89.465 billion) regions.
The service clarified that the turnover of retail trade enterprises (legal entities) in December 2021 compared to December 2020 increased by 5.8%, from November 2021 – by 19.3%, amounting to UAH 110.935 billion.
In general, in 2021, the retail turnover of enterprises increased by 10.9% (relative to 2020), to UAH 1.044 trillion. The wholesale turnover of enterprises for the year decreased by 6.8% and amounted to UAH 3.341 trillion.
As reported, in 2020, the retail trade turnover in Ukraine increased by 8.4% compared to 2019, to UAH 1.211 trillion.
The State Statistics Service recalls that the data are given without taking into account the temporarily occupied territories of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the city of Sevastopol, parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Exports of sunflower oil from Ukraine in quantity terms decreased by 15.2% in 2021 compared to 2020, to 5.13 million tonnes, while in monetary terms exports increased by 20%, to $6.38 billion, according to preliminary data published on the website of the Ukroliyaprom association on Thursday.
According to preliminary information, in general, in 2021, Ukraine exported oil and fat products worth $8.56 billion (19.6% more compared to 2020), which is 12.6% of total exports of goods from Ukraine and 30.9% of its exports of agricultural and food products.
In the structure of exports of oil and fat products, vegetable oil accounted for 74.6% of the total supply, sunflower meal – 14.9%, soybean oil – 3.4%, soybean meal – 3.0%, rapeseed oil – 2.6%, and margarine – 1.1%.
According to Ukroliyaprom, the main importing countries of Ukrainian sunflower oil in 2021 were the EU countries, where 32% of total exports were supplied, as well as India (30.5%), China (15.3%), and Iraq (5.1%). Among the EU countries, the Netherlands (10.6% of total exports), Spain (7.4%), Italy (5.0%), France (3.0%) and the UK (2.7%) imported the most Ukrainian vegetable oil.
Canadian Minister of National Defense Anita Anand and Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly have joined Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland in announcing a decision to allocate $340 million for immediate support to Ukraine and for the continuation of the UNIFIER operation for another three years – until the end of March 2025, and an increase in the number of personnel of the training mission in Ukraine to 400 people.
“Canada is steadfast in its support of Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence. Canada is alarmed by, and condemns, Russia’s threats and military buildup in and around Ukraine. Canada remains committed to a diplomatic solution and continues to call on Russia to de-escalate and engage in meaningful dialogue. Any further aggression on the part of Russia will be met with strong consequences and Canada continues to work with allies and partners on a coordinated response,” the government of Canada said on its website.
“This extension and expansion of Canada’s military presence in support of Ukraine will ensure that members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) will continue to provide enhanced military training and mentorship to Ukraine’s security forces through to the end of March 2025. In the coming days an additional 60 troops will be deployed to Ukraine to join the approximately 200 women and men already on the ground, with the ability to increase the total number to 400 CAF personnel. The CAF will also work with the Communications Security Establishment on measures to support enhanced intelligence cooperation and cyber security and cyber operations. This increased support will help Ukraine strengthen its security and ability to defend itself against a range of threats,” the report reads.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov thanked the Canadian people and government for their unwavering support of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in countering the Russian threat.
Members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Subcommittee on Security and Defense will travel to Ukraine from January 30 to February 2 to gather information on the current crisis.
As reported on the website of the European Parliament on Wednesday, a delegation of eight MEPs led by Foreign Affairs Committee Chair David McAllister (Germany) and Security and Defense Subcommittee Chair Nathalie Loizeau (France) will carry out a fact-finding mission to Ukraine on Sunday.
“During the visit… MEPs will observe the situation on the ground, and demonstrate the European Parliament’s solidarity with the Ukrainian people and its opposition to any steps by Russia to further escalate the crisis. The visit is part of large-scale diplomatic effort to de-escalate the situation and avoid the disastrous consequences of a possible war in Ukraine,” the European Parliament said.
The delegation of the European Parliament will meet with the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, and has requested meetings with the President, the Prime Minister, the Foreign Affairs and Defence Ministers and the deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration. They will also hold talks with the Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council and Members of the Verkhova Rada’s Committees on Foreign Affairs, on Ukraine’s Integration into the European Union, and on Security and Defence.
According to the statement, in the resolution adopted in December on Ukraine, the European Parliament expressed support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.
The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU) will consider a possibility of the acquiring of agro-trading firm Agro-Dilo LLC (Pervomaisk town, Mykolaiv region), a subsidiary of the international holding ED&F Man, by Deimanivsky Dar LLL (village of Deimanivka, Poltava region), part of the agricultural holding A.G.R. Group.
The relevant issue is contained in an agenda of a meeting of the state regulator on January 27.
According to the A.G.R. Group, Deimanivsky Dar is part of the Hrebinka cluster in Poltava region. In addition to this region, the group of companies cultivates land in Kyiv, Chernihiv and Sumy regions, all grown products are sold on foreign markets.
The total land bank of the agricultural holding is up to 33,000 hectares, it includes 20 companies. The main activity is cultivation and storage of grain crops, mainly corn and soybeans, as well as animal husbandry.
The founder and sole shareholder of A.G.R. Group and its member companies is Armenian citizen Misak Khidiryan.
ATF Agro-Dilo is a subsidiary of the international holding ED&F Man, one of the world’s largest suppliers of food, sugar, spices, coffee, animal feed and other types of food products. Agro-Dilo is mainly engaged in cultivation of grain crops.
In the company’s charter capital with a total amount of UAH 808.1 million, some 78.06% belongs to British company ED&F Man Treasury Management PLC, and 21.93% belongs to ED&F Man Ukraine Investments BV (the Netherlands).
ED&F Man Ukraine has been working in Ukraine since 2007. The company owns Zasilsky sugar refinery (Pervomaisk, Mykolaiv region) with a production capacity of up to 50,000 tonnes of sugar per year. ED&F Man is also implementing a comprehensive investment program for land irrigation in Kherson and Mykolaiv regions.
During its work in Ukraine, the company has invested more than $150 million in Ukrainian agribusiness.
Among the company’s clients in Ukraine: Coca-Cola Ukraine, Sandora LLC, Conti Group, Rosynka, Pervomaisk Dairy Products Canning Plant and others.
