Ukraine has all chances to sign a new financial agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), but it is the Verkhovna Rada is to do the final step, First Deputy Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) Kateryna Rozhkova has said.
“Ukraine as a state today continues negotiating on attracting IMF assistance… The chances are great, but the last step is ours, in fact, it is the Verkhovna Rada, which must adopt two bills, which are the so-called prior actions. This is the land bill and the bill about banks,” Rozhkova said during a press briefing on Friday.
She also said that the IMF is ready to increase the scope of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) compared with the previously agreed $5.5 billion.
“We are optimists. If the EFF is approved, Ukraine will be able to go through difficult times to combat the virus,” Deputy Governor of the central bank Oleh Churiy said.
Ukrainian business continues providing its support in fighting the coronavirus disease COVID-19 pandemic, sending money to crisis response teams or buying artificial lungs ventilators, other equipment and protective equipment for medical workers.
In particular, the RDS group of companies, involved in the construction and operation of roads belonged to Yuriy Shumakher and Yevhen Konovalov, bought the Oricare V8600 artificial lung ventilation machine (the United States) for the city of Odesa, and also provides financial assistance to local authorities for the purchase of protective equipment (masks, disinfectants) in the seven regions where it operates.
Makar Paseniuk and Kostiantyn Stetsenko’s ICU investment group purchased COVID-19 tests and intensive care equipment for Kyiv designated hospitals. In particular, for the Oleksandrivska City Clinical Hospital, which receives the main flow of patients with possible COVID-19 disease, the ICU acquired 200 additional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests. The investment group provided the city hospital No. 4, one of the three designated hospitals in Kyiv, with almost 5,000 units of intensive care supplies: virus-bacterial filters, breathing circuits, endotracheal tubes, oxygen masks and drainage bags, and the Kyiv perinatal center received three all-in-one intensive care monitors.
The Regional Gas Company (RGC) of Dmytro Firtash purchased medical equipment, components for it, protective equipment, as well as materials and medicines for the amount of UAH 10 million and plans to send another tranche of assistance. In particular, RGC was able to purchase an artificial lung ventilator and monitors for existing ventilators, 2,000 express tests, 30,000 masks and FFP2respirators, 5,000 special glasses, about 5,000 gowns and special overalls and about 3,000 biosecurity kits, as well as disinfection solutions, medicines and fuel for ambulances.
The P&O Maritime Ukraine towing company transferred UAH 6.8 million to the Odesa crisis response team, and TIS-Grain sent UAH 3 million.
Official rates of banking metals from national bank as of March 27
One troy ounce=31.10 grams
National bank of ukraine’s official rates as of 27/03/20
Source: National Bank of Ukraine
Ukraine in January-February 2020 increased its electricity exports by 33.7% or 362.5 million kWh year-over-year, to 1.438 billion kWh, the Energy and Environmental Protection Ministry of Ukraine has told Interfax-Ukraine. Electricity supplies from the Burshtyn TPP energy island to Hungary, Slovakia, and Romania rose by 56.6%, to 1.049 billion kWh.
Exports to Poland grew by 17.6%, to 299.9 million kWh.
Exports to Moldova fell by 41%, to 88.6 million kWh.
Ukrainian electricity was not exported to Belarus or Russia in 2018 or 2019.
Ukraine imported 1.112 billion kWh of electricity in January-February 2020, including 599.5 million kWh from Slovakia, 274.7 million kWh from Hungary, 141.9 million kWh from Belarus, 51.9 million kWh from the Russian Federation, and 43.4 million kWh from Romania.
Due to crossflows related to the parallel work of the united energy system in Ukraine and systems in bordering countries (accounted for under contracts signed by Energomarket), Ukraine imported 8.1 million kWh of energy from Russia and 100,000 kWh from Belarus.
The shareholders of Myronivsky Hliboproduct agricultural holding (MHP) have approved the appointment of Philip Wilkinson as an additional director of the company. According to the MHP report on the London Stock Exchange’s website, the appointment was the only issue on the agenda of the company’s extraordinary meeting on March 24, 2020.
MHP is the largest producer of poultry in Ukraine. It is also engaged in production of cereals, sunflower oil, meat. MHP supplies chilled poultry carcasses to the European market, which are processed, in particular, at its enterprises in the Netherlands and Slovakia.
In February 2019, MHP completed the acquisition of the Slovenian company Perutnina Ptuj.
The founder and majority shareholder of MHP is Ukrainian businessman Yuriy Kosiuk.
In 2018, MHP’s net profit decreased by 44.3%, to $128 million, revenue increased by 21%, to $1.556 billion.
