Ukrainian metallurgical enterprises in January-April this year have increased the production of general rolled products, according to operational data, by 7.4% compared to the same period last year – up to 6.414 million tonnes.
In the first four months of the year steel production has increased by 7.2% – up to 7.138 million tonnes, pig iron – by 9.1% – up to 7.075 million tonnes, the association Ukrmetalurgprom said on Thursday.
In April, 1.680 million tonnes of rolled products, 1.847 million tonnes of steel, 1.762 million tonnes of pig iron were produced, while in the previous month – 1.575 million tonnes of rolled products, 1.779 million tonnes of steel, and 1.805 million tonnes of pig iron.
The U.S. engineering, construction and design company Bechtel Corporation is interested in entering the Ukrainian market for the construction of roads and other more complex infrastructure facilities, Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova said.
“I had the honor to speak at the Ukraine Invest round table on the importance of Ukraine’s active competition for investments, attracting U.S. investors to Ukraine and common American-Ukrainian projects in important industries for us, where out team immediately held a meeting with Stuart Jones, President of Regional and Corporate Relations of Bechtel Corporation, the U.S. engineering/construction/design company with revenues of $17.6 billion that implements infrastructure projects around the world and has an interest in entering the Ukrainian market for the construction of roads and other more complex infrastructure facilities,” Markarova wrote on Facebook on Friday.
She assured that the Ukrainian Embassy in the United States will actively work with Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal, President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Office, Ukravtodor and the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine, as well as IFIs and U.S. financial institutions, in order to turn this interest into new projects, investments and jobs for Ukraine.
Pivdenny maritime merchandise port (formerly Yuzhny, Odesa region), the largest seaport in Ukraine in terms of transshipment volume, in January-April 2021 reduced cargo handling by 18.6% compared to January-April 2020, to 16.786 million tonnes.
According to the data on the website of the state-owned enterprise Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority, over four months of 2021, the seaport reduced handling of export cargo by 13.83%, to 13.12 million tonnes, import cargo by 37%, to 1.849 million tonnes, transit cargo by 24.53%, to 1.776 million tonnes, coastal cargo by 61.3%, to 41,040 tonnes.
In terms of the cargo nomenclature, the seaport in January-April 2021 reduced handling of liquid cargo by 18.95%, to 1.725 million tonnes, dry bulk cargo by 17.75%, to 13.993 million tonnes, packaged cargo by 27.84%, to 1.068 million tonnes.
Handling of containers for this period amounted to 64,316 TEU (24.77% less).
The KSG Agro agricultural holding completed January-March 2021 with a net profit of $750,000 versus $3.02 million of a net loss for the same period in 2020.
According to the holding’s report on the Warsaw Stock Exchange website, its revenue over this period increased by 9%, to $3.52 million, and the company’s EBITDA by 21%, to $1.39 million.
According to the results of the first quarter, KSG Agro increased its gross profit by 18% compared to the first quarter of 2020, to $1.26, operating profit by 39%, to $1.01 million.
“As of the date of these financial statements, the total balance of ‘other financial liabilities’ as of December 31, 2020 decreased by an additional $9.4 million, with the current portion of this amount being $3.4 million. Liabilities were partially settled in cash and partially due to disposal subsidiaries Agrarian Firm Vesna LLC, Trading House UAIH LLC and Soyuz-3 LLC,” the agricultural holding said in the financial statements.
According to the agricultural producer, the retirement of three subsidiaries from the agricultural holding led to an increase in its consolidated capital from a negative value of $6.2 million “closer to a positive value.”
According to KSG Agro Board Chairman Serhiy Kasyanov, the main factors behind the growth of financial indicators were a decrease in unproductive costs, as well as an increase in demand for pork in the first quarter of 2021 after a drop in prices at the end of 2020.
The total revenue of KSG Agro from pig breeding and meat processing in the first quarter of 2021 amounted to $2.51 million, almost at the level of the same reporting period of 2020 ($2.56 million).
KSG Agro’s revenue from agricultural crops production amounted to $ 840,000 (versus $100,000 in January-March 2020). The company said that as an alternative source of income, KSG Agro used its equipment and experience to provide services for the preparation and processing of land for other agricultural producers, which brought in $720,000 in revenue.
According to the financial statements, coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic did not have a significant impact on the profitability of the agricultural holding, it is expected that the event in the future will not have a significant impact on its business operations in future periods.
The company’s spring sowing campaign started in early April as scheduled. The plans of the spring sowing campaign are to sow 7,100 hectares with wheat, some 1,860 hectares with rapeseed and some 1,180 hectares with barley. The pig stock of the company in the first quarter of 2021 decreased by 1.7%, to 40,720 pigs.
According to the Association of Ukrainian Pig Breeders, the agricultural holding in 2020 took 11th place in the rating of Ukrainian pork producers (the rating was compiled on the basis of data on the total breeding stock of pigs), having sold 11,760 tonnes of pork in live weight over the year.
Primary registrations of new passenger cars in Ukraine in January-April this year increased by 31% compared to the same period in 2020, to 31,100 units, Ukrautoprom reports.
According to the association, including in April, primary registrations more than tripled compared to the same month in 2020, to more than 10,000 units.
However, such a significant increase is explained by an extremely low comparison base, which was caused by the strict quarantine restrictions due to COVID-19, which were in force in Ukraine in April last year, the association notes.
Compared to March of this year, the demand for new cars in April increased by 11%.
At the same time, the sales leader changed last month: Toyota came out on top with a nearly four-fold increase in sales to 1,618 units. Renault moved down to the second place, sales of which increased by 58%, to 1,215 cars.
The third position with more than three-fold growth in sales from April 2020 was kept by Kia with 830 units. The fourth result was shown by Skoda with 616 new cars (3.4 times more), and Volkswagen closes the five leading brands with more than nine-fold growth in sales with 482 cars.
According to the above statistics, in April, the Chinese Chery moved to the sixth position in the ranking (against the 15th in April 2020) due to an almost six-fold increase in registrations (up to 416 units).
The bestseller of the month was the compact crossover KIA Sportage with 640 new cars registered.
During one year of operation in Ukraine, IKEA has processed more than 148,000 orders in an online store and more than 8,000 orders in a bricks-and-mortar store in Kyiv, the press service of the company has told Interfax-Ukraine.
As reported in its press release, IKEA began entering the country’s market on May 14, 2020 with the launch of an online store. As of the end of April 2021, more than 2.528 million Ukrainians have already visited the company’s website.
The first bricks-and-mortar store of the urban format was opened on February 1, 2021 in Kyiv’s Blockbuster Mall. During the first months, it received over 397,000 visitors.
“I want to emphasize that the Ukrainian market is very important for IKEA. We strive to expand our activities on it, offering a wide range of functional products with attractive designs and prices for as many Ukrainians as possible,” the press service said, citing IKEA Market Leader in Ukraine Florian Mellet.
According to the press service, now IKEA in Ukraine offers about 5,000 affordable goods and solutions for home in all categories and styles of its assortment.
The most popular items in the online store are PARKLA storage boxes, SPRUTTIG hangers and ISTAD sealed bags. At the same time, SPRUTTIG hangers, OFTAST plates (white, 25 cm) and BERGENES bamboo stands for a mobile phone/tablet are most often bought in the IKEA bricks-and-mortar store.
In May 2020, the official launch of the IKEA online store in Ukraine took place in parallel with pick-up points in the Kyiv shopping centers Auchan Rive Gauche and Metro Cash & Carry. In December 2020, the third pick-up point was opened at the Lavina Mall.
The Kyiv office of Baker McKenzie provided legal support for the opening of an IKEA bricks-and-mortar store in Kyiv.
