Ukrainian farmers in April-June 2019 signed first international crop receipts, the press service of IFC Ukrainian Crop Receipt Project has reported.
According to the press service, at the end of April 2019, Zori Obmacheva LLC (Chernihiv region) issued commodity crop receipt for the supply of corn to the Estonian company Letofin. The receipt was issued in support of the forward contract for the supply of the future corn crop. The agricultural enterprise received pre-financing in the amount of about 40% of the total value of production.
Early June, the Salix agricultural enterprise (Lviv region) raised UAH 1.2 million from the Estonian grain trader Everwelle, which has been operating in Ukraine for over 10 years. An international receipt was issued under a forward contract, the manufacturer received financing at the rate of 12% per annum with settlement in foreign currency.
“Crop receipts allow even small farms to move to a new stage, start working with foreign creditors and attract cheaper financing on a par with agricultural holdings,” the press service said.
The UFuture investment group of Ukrainian businessman Vasyl Khmelnytsky plans to increase investment in various businesses by 20% in 2019, to $60 million.
“Last year, the UFuture group invested almost $50 million in various businesses. In 2019, we plan to invest another $60 million. If we talk about investments only in impact projects, I estimate the total amount, taking into account capital investments, to be more than $50 million,” Khmelnytsky said in an interview with the Top 100. Rating of the Largest magazine.
He said on his Facebook page that in September this year, UFuture will open a new campus on the territory of the UNIT.City innovation park (Kyiv).
“At UNIT.City, everything is in line with the schedule. In September, a new campus and an art facility [will appear],” he wrote.
As reported, in January 2019, UFuture in partnership with KAN Development on Wednesday took part in the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the third campus – a new six-story B12 business center with a gross area of 16,900 square meters – in the UNIT.City innovation park (Kyiv).
In February 2019, Khmelnytsky said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine that the first phase of LvivTech.City is scheduled for opening at the end of 2019.
He said that the first Lviv campus will combine office and commercial sections (cafes and restaurants). The office space will be 9,500 square meters, commercial – 3,000 square meters.
UFuture unites companies and social projects of Khmelnytsky. The group includes the Bila Tserkva industrial park, the UDP development company, the Sikorsky Kyiv International Airport, outdoor advertising operator RTM-Ukraine, as well as innovative businesses: UDP Renewables (creates and develops photovoltaic power plants under its control), the pharmaceutical company Biopharma, innovative parks UNIT.City and LvivTech.City.
Ukraine since the beginning of the 2018/2019 marketing year (MY, July-June) and as of June 14, 2019 had exported 48.3 million tonnes of grain and leguminous plants, which is 26% more than on the same date of the previous MY.
According to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food, farmers exported 28.6 million tonnes of corn, 15.4 million tonnes of wheat, and 3.5 million tonnes of barley.
Some 283,000 tonnes of flour had been also exported on this date.
As reported, with reference to the ministry, Ukraine exported 39.4 million tonnes of grain in the 2017/2018 MY.
Ukrainian insurance companies in January-March 2019 collected net premiums in the amount of UAH 9.673 billion, which is 19.1% more than in January-March 2018, according to the website of the National Commission for Financial Service Markets Regulation.
According to the regulator, the volume of gross insurance premiums collected by insurers for this period amounted to UAH 13.331 billion (14.7% more).
The commission notes that the increase in gross insurance premiums was recorded in almost all types of insurance: in voluntary car insurance (KASKO), compulsory vehicle owners’ civil liability (OSAGO) and Green Card by UAH 670 million, or by 24.9%, medical insurance by UAH 443 million, or by 49%, insurance against fire risks and natural hazards by UAH 421 million, or 35.5%, property insurance by UAH 284.5 million, or by 16.3%, life insurance by UAH 195 million, or 23.6%, medical expenses insurance by UAH 183.4 million, or 74%, and aviation insurance by UAH 72.9 million or 90%.
The share of net insurance premiums in gross insurance premiums for Q1 2019 was 72.6%, which is 2.7 percentage points more compared to Q1 2018.
In January-March 2019, insurers paid UAH 3.249 billion in net payments in claims, which is 4.8% more than a year ago. The level of net payments fell from 38.2% to 33.6%.
Gross payments in claims grew by 4.5%, to UAH 3.311 billion. The level of payments fell from 27.3% to 24.8%.
Representative of the head of state in the Ukrainian government Andriy Gerus has said that amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine should be made for the creation of independent regulators. “This should be regulated by the adoption of a new law on the NCER [the National Commission for Energy, Housing and Utilities Services Regulation], which will envisage slightly different appointment procedures. In addition, in our opinion, the Constitution should be amended to ensure that there are different regulators, not only energy, but also some anti-corruption bodies,” Gerus said at a briefing in Kyiv on Friday.
He said that this will avoid such situations in the future.
At the same time, Gerus said that after the reformatting of the NCER some existing members might remain in it, but new ones will be appointed.
Asked whether the decision of the Constitutional Court applies only to the NCER or also to the National Commission for Securities and the Stock Market and National Commission for the Financial Service Markets Regulation, Gerus said that the decision concerns only the national commission in the field of energy.
As reported, the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, which declared unconstitutional some provisions of the law on the NCER, ruled that they will cease to be in force from December 31, 2019.
The share of vacant space of street retail in Khreschatyk Street and the Pasazh buildings in Kyiv is falling and reached 6% in May 2019, which is lower than a year and two years ago. According to a study of Colliers International, growth in the number of cafe and restaurant operators is seen in this area: as of May 2019 their share is 27% (32 operators) of the total number of retailers in Khreschatyk Street, while the number of fashion operators has not significantly changed in the past two years (31%).
The number of other operators grew: banks, pharmacies, jewelry stores, children stores, food and souvenir stores, reaching 36% of the total number of retailers.
According to Colliers, the highest rent on main retail streets in Q1 2019 did not change compared with the same periods of the previous two years, being $83 per square meter a month.
