Over 14,000 Ukrainian companies annually export their products to the European Union, said Minister of Economy Ihor Petrashko.
“Over 14,000 companies annually export their products to the EU. And as of mid-January, 362 companies producing animal products have the right to export their products to the EU, which is subject to the most stringent requirements from the EU,” the press service of the ministry quoted Petrashko as saying in the release on Friday.
Reforms in technical regulation, public procurement, sanitary and phytosanitary standards, as well as improving the product safety control system, customs, intellectual property protection system will allow to remove barriers to trade and provide more free access to the EU internal market for Ukrainian companies, the minister said.
“Today we see that we are ready to go further in our European aspirations,” Petrashko added.
Imports of fresh or chilled fish in 2020 in physical terms increased by one third compared to the previous year, from 23,000 tonnes to 30,000 tonnes, and in U.S. dollar terms it grew by 15.4%, from $141 million to $162 million, the State Customs Service has reported. At that time, according to the data, the import of frozen fish in the past year amounted to 271,000 tonnes worth $365 million, decreasing by 5.1% and 3.1%, respectively.
Due to a general reduction in imports, the share of fresh or chilled fish of it in 2020 increased to 0.30% from 0.23% a year earlier, frozen – from 0.62% to 0.67%, the State Customs Service said.
According to the data, the export of frozen fish in 2020 amounted to only 440 tonnes for $1.1 million, having almost halved.
The State Customs Service said that the largest three countries-suppliers of fresh and chilled fish to Ukraine are Norway with the share of 82%, Turkey with 9% and Iceland with 4%, frozen – the United States with 19%, Iceland with 18%, and Norway with 14%.
In addition, in physical terms the import of fish fillets and other fish meat, dried, salted and smoked fish, crayfish and molluscs grew by 16.9%, to 58,700 tonnes, in money terms – by 20.1% to $152.7 million.
Most of all, the import of crustaceans increased – to 11,500 tonnes and to $55 million, or by 57.4% and 42.6%, respectively.
At the same time, fish fillets and other fish meat remained the main export product in this industry for Ukraine – 3,800 tonnes for $26.3 million, which is 2.5% and 13.4% higher than in 2019, respectively.
The deficit of Ukraine’s foreign trade in goods in January-November 2020 decreased 58.6% compared to January-November 2019, to $3.897 billion from $9.417 billion, the State Statistics Service reported on Thursday.
According to its data, the export of goods from Ukraine for the reporting period compared to the same period in 2019 fell by 3.5%, to $44.347 billion, imports narrowed by 12.9%, to $48.244 billion.
The State Statistics Service said that in November, compared with October 2020, the seasonally adjusted export volume increased 2.5%, to $4.374 billion, imports grew by 4.3%, to $4.791 billion.
The seasonally adjusted foreign trade balance in November 2020 posted a deficit and amounted to $0.417 billion, a month earlier it also showed a deficit being $0.323 billion.
The ratio of exports to imports in January-April of this year amounted to 0.92 (in January-November-2019 it was 0.83).
The State Statistics Service said that foreign trade operations were carried out with partners from 232 countries.
The Ukrainian Embassy has opened a 24-hour hotline line to provide possible assistance to citizens of Ukraine in Indonesia, where a powerful earthquake occurred, spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Oleh Nikolenko said.
“A powerful earthquake happened on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia. To provide possible assistance to Ukrainian citizens, the Ukrainian embassy has opened a 24-hour hotline: +62 87 88 48 90 918. There is still no information about the injured Ukrainians,” Nikolenko wrote on Twitter on Friday.
National bank of Ukraine’s official rates as of 15/01/21
Source: National Bank of Ukraine