One of Ukraine’s largest grain market operators, Nibulon JV LLC (Mykolaiv), has received EUR12.8 million from the Export Investment Fund of Denmark (EIFO) to purchase 74 units of modern agricultural machinery, the grain trader’s press service reported on Facebook.
“We are grateful to our Danish partners who support Ukrainian business, which is now working in spite of the war, not because of it. We really need more and more such positive signals as convincing role models. This is the only way we will be able to rebuild Ukraine as soon as possible,” said Nibulon’s CFO Iryna Levkovska, CFO of Nibulon.
Peder Lundqvist, CEO of EIFO, expressed confidence that the financing will help the company increase grain yields by modernizing agricultural machinery and strengthen the company’s long-term financial position.
“At EIFO, we are proud to be able to make a small contribution to the enormous recovery work that awaits Ukraine and is now one of the most important things for its citizens. We look forward to future cooperation with Nibulon and other Ukrainian and Danish companies operating in Ukraine,” he said during the signing of the loan agreement in the Ministry of Finance’s bomb shelter during an air raid alert.
According to Nibulon, the financing was allocated as part of a social program of the Danish investment fund created to help Ukraine. Its launch was announced in May 2023 during the Ukrainian Investment Forum in Copenhagen. The program will finance projects involving the best Danish technologies and innovative solutions and will be available to both the public and private sectors.
Nibulon JV LLC was established in 1991. Prior to the Russian military invasion, the grain trader had 27 transshipment terminals and crop reception complexes, capacity for simultaneous storage of 2.25 million tons of agricultural products, a fleet of 83 vessels (including 23 tugs), and owned the Mykolaiv Shipyard.
“Before the war, Nibulon cultivated 82 thousand hectares of land in 12 regions of Ukraine and exported agricultural products to more than 70 countries. In 2021, the grain trader exported the highest ever 5.64 million tons of agricultural products, reaching record volumes of supplies to foreign markets in August – 0.7 million tons, in the fourth quarter – 1.88 million tons, and in the second half of the year – 3.71 million tons.
Nibulon’s losses due to Russia’s full-scale military invasion in 2022 exceeded $416 million.
Currently, the grain trader is operating at 32% of capacity, has created a special unit to clear agricultural land of mines, and was forced to move its headquarters from Mykolaiv to Kyiv.
The exports of sunflower oil from Ukraine in September-April of 2023-2024 marketing year (MY) totaled over 4.4 mln tonnes, up 17% compared to the same period of the previous season, and became the second largest export volume in the history after 2019-2020 MY, when the exports reached 4.49 mln tonnes in the same period, APK-Inform news agency reported.
“The demand for this product in the current season from the key global importers was boosted by the more attractive price of sunflower oil compared to other vegetable oils, which resulted in the active increase of sunflower processing by the Ukrainian plants,” the analysts explained.
They also pointed out that an important factor is ensuring relatively stable shipments of oil by sea.
The agency’s experts reminded that they estimated the export of sunflower oil for the season-2023/24 at 5.6 mln tonnes (+4% compared to April estimates; -1% compared to 2022-2023 MY). However, given that about 79% of the forecast has already been exported, a significant decline in monthly shipments is expected by the end of the season.
“The decrease of the exports of the product in May-August of the current season may be due to the decrease of sunflower crushing amid the depletion of the stocks, which are estimated as the minimum for the last three seasons in the whole country as of the beginning of May”, – summarized APK-Inform.
Ukrainian cheese makers are facing a decline in sales due to both the high price of Ukrainian cheese and rising imports, according to Infagro, an industry news and analysis agency.
“In March, cheese imports increased by more than 40%, and in April this figure may increase by another 15-20%. That is, the share of European cheeses again accounts for about a third of total cheese sales in Ukraine,” the analysts said.
They emphasized that the share of imports in Ukraine’s domestic market is still lower than before the war, but this should force producers to take measures to stay in their own market.
“Due to the devaluation of the hryvnia, cheese exports are becoming even more profitable. At the same time, exports of cheese products, for example, to Kazakhstan, are falling rapidly. Ukrainian cheese products have already been practically pushed out of the Kazakh market by Russian producers. If exports of cheese products to Kazakhstan stop, production will have to be significantly reduced,” Infagro predicts.
The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine has approved the distribution of 18.8 billion UAH of state budget expenditures among 134 state-owned higher education institutions, which fall under the management of the Ministry of Education.
According to the press service of the ministry, the amount of allocated state funds for each university is determined taking into account 5 main criteria that an educational institution must meet.
In particular, the main criterion of distribution is the contingent of applicants who study at the expense of the budget, as well as we are talking about such indicators as: scientific activity – the number of funds that the university has earned from the provision of scientific and technical, consulting services or received in the form of grants for scientific research; internationalization – place in international rankings or participation in European projects Erasmus+; employment – the percentage of employed graduates; regional coefficient – to support the educational institutions of the largest number of graduates in the country.
Thus, the most funds will go to: National Technical University Kyiv Polytechnic Institute named after Sikorsky (UAH 1,530.9 mln.), National University Lviv Polytechnic (UAH 980.1 mln.), National University of Bioresources and Nature Management (UAH 620 mln. ), Lviv Frank National University (UAH 568.4 million), National Aviation University (UAH 498.8 million), National Technical University “Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute” (UAH 496.6 million), Kharkiv National University named after Karazin (UAH 412 million).
“The MES is developing methodological recommendations on the use of the reserve, the amount of which amounts to UAH 504 million. It is envisaged that part of this reserve will be directed to solve problems related to the functioning of displaced educational institutions”, – stated in the message.
Bank-partner of the state program on affordable lending SKY Bank accredited for participation in the program “eOselia” housing complexes of DIM company, houses No. 4 and No. 6 in LCD LUCKY LAND and house No. 3 of LCD “Metropolis” in Kiev, reported in the press service of the developer.
“SKY BANK JSC welcomes the beginning of cooperation with the leading developer of the capital’s real estate market and continues to implement the strategic mission of the state preferential mortgage lending program “eOselia”, making it affordable for citizens to buy housing at the construction stage,” – quoted in the release Director of Retail Business, member of the Board of SKY BANK JSC Vladimir Chernenky.
Managing partner of DIM companies Alexander Nasikovsky said that DIM regularly receive requests from clients about the possibility of buying an apartment under the state program “eOsel”.
“Everyone should have a house – we are sure of it. Since the beginning of the year we have commissioned more than 1,000 apartments and are actively working on developing comfortable conditions for the purchase of housing for our clients, including working with the state program of affordable housing loans,” said Nasikovsky.
Lucky Land (Berkovetskaya Street, 6) is a residential complex of comfort class, designed as a multifunctional district with developed infrastructure. It assumes 23 buildings 13-14 floors high, 5183 apartments in total, with guest parking for 2,5 thousand and underground parking for 356 cars. Under the program “єOsela” available for mortgage one, two- and three-bedroom apartments with the area from 41 sq.m. in the house № 3, which has already received a certificate of readiness, and houses № 4, № 6, which are scheduled for commissioning in the third and fourth quarters of this year.
You can also buy an apartment under the “eOsel” program in building No. 3 of the Residential Complex “Metropolis” (ak.Zabolotnogo, 1), its planned date of commissioning in the third quarter.
Also available on “eOsela” apartments in the completed housing estate “New Autograph” (Kn. Roman Mstislavicha (Generala Zhmachenko), 26).
As reported, the program of affordable mortgage lending “eOsela” has worked in Ukraine since October 2022. For a preferential mortgage at 3% per annum for up to 20 years with a down payment of 20% of the cost of housing can be claimed by contract servicemen of the AFU, employees of the security sector and defense, medical workers, teachers, researchers.
From August 1, 2023, war veterans, combatants, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and citizens who do not have their own housing larger than the standard area can apply for participation in the “eOsela” program at 7%.
Eight partner banks are integrated into this program: Oschadbank, PrivatBank, Ukrgasbank, Globus Bank, Sky Bank, Ukreximbank, SENS and Bank Credit Dnipro. You can apply for participation in the program in the mobile application “Diya”.
As of April 30, the volume of loans issued under “eOsel” reached UAH 14.9 billion, loans were issued for 9613 families. At the same time, 2.9% of apartments were purchased on the primary market, 71.7% – on the secondary market, 25.4% – from developers.
DIM Group was founded in 2014 and consists of six companies covering all stages of construction. To date, it has commissioned 12 houses in six residential complexes with a total residential area of more than 218 thousand sq. m. Six residential complexes of “comfort +” and “business class” category are under construction: “New Autograph”, “Metropolis”, Park Lake City, Lucky Land, A136 Highlight Tower, Olegiv Podil.
At the end of 2023, they accounted for 18.6 percent of the total 181,370 foreigners in the state, as reported by the State Statistics Office in Halle on Thursday. Based on data from the Central Register of Foreigners. The second and third largest groups are people from Syria (15.9 percent) and Poland (7.8 percent). The number of foreigners in Saxony-Anhalt increased by 12,150 people from the end of 2022 to the end of 2023.
https://www.zeit.de/news/2024-05/02/ukrainer-sind-groesste-auslaendische-bevoelkerungsgruppe