Exports of tomato paste from Ukraine in 2021/22 (marketing year, July-June) amounted to 62,180 tonnes, which is 45% (or 27,980 tonnes) less than the previous year.
As reported on the industry website tomatonews.com, the main reason for this reduction was the Russian occupation and hostilities in Mykolaiv and Kherson regions, where the largest Ukrainian tomato paste producer, the Agrofusion agricultural holding, is located.
According to the publication, the export of tomato paste from Ukraine in February 2022 amounted to 4,090 tonnes (37% less compared to the same month in 2021), in March – 196 tonnes (a drop of 97.2%), in April – 861 tonnes (80% less), in May – 1,120 tonnes (72.2% less), in June – 473 tonnes (85.7% less).
Agrofusion is a vertically integrated group of companies engaged in the cultivation and processing of tomatoes for manufacturers of juices, ketchups and tomato sauces. Before the full-scale Russian invasion, it included 10 departments, two greenhouses, three plants for the production of tomato paste (two in Mykolaiv region, one in Kherson region) with a total capacity of up to 750,000 tonnes of tomatoes per season. The total land bank of agricultural enterprises in Kherson and Mykolaiv regions amounted to more than 32,000 hectares of irrigated land.
The group of companies was founded in 2005 by businessman Serhiy Sypko. In 2019, Agrofusion launched a vegetable drying plant in Snihurivka (Mykolaiv region) and began the production of tomato powder.
Ukraine’s Interdepartmental Commission on International Trade (ICIT) decided on November 2 to apply a provisional anti-dumping duty of 31.37% to imports into Ukraine of glass containers originating from Belarus, Ilyashev & Partners law firm said on Friday.
“The application of such measures is the result of the Ukrainian government’s timely response to the unfair competition of Belarusian manufacturers in the glassware market in Ukraine and will allow national manufacturers to resume work more quickly to eliminate the consequences of dumping imports of goods,” firm partner Olena Omelchenko said in the release.
“Ilyashev and Partners clarified that they represented the interests of the Association of glass industry enterprises “Glass of Ukraine”, as well as its members.
According to the message, the duty will be charged on the following goods: glass vessels (canning jars, bottles) for food and beverages of 0.15 liters or more, but less than 2.5 liters, which are classified according to the UKTVED by codes 7010 90 41 00, 7010 90 43 00, 7010 90 45 00; colored glass jars of nominal capacity of over 0.33 liter, but less than 1 liter, which are classified according to UKTVED under the code 7010 90 53 00.
This decision is the first decision of the Commission on the application of restrictive measures on imports to Ukraine after February 24, 2022, the law firm said. It has noted that application of provisional anti-dumping measures is an extremely rare interim result in the practice of anti-dumping investigations in Ukraine. The last time such measures were applied by the ICMT was in 2020.
Preliminary antidumping duty is applied for a period of four months and will accrue from the date of publication of the ICMT’s decision in the Uriadovyi Kurier newspaper.
The decision on the violation and anti-dumping investigation based on the results of consideration of the complaint filed by Glass Ukraine, prepared by Ilyashev & Partners, was made by the ICMT on December 22, 2021.
The Association of Glass Industry Enterprises “Glass of Ukraine” is a public organization that unites Ukrainian manufacturers of glass containers, flat glass, glassware, art glass, as well as suppliers of equipment, materials and services for the glass industry. The Association was founded in 1997. Members of the Association produce more than 80% of glass products in the country.
Ukraine’s real GDP will fall by 31% in 2022 and recover by 8% in 2023 if by the end of 2022 half of the current main negative factors are resolved, and by the end of 2023 they will come to nothing, Concorde Capital investment company predicts.
The real gross domestic product (GDP) of Ukraine in the second quarter of 2022 fell by 37.2% compared to the second quarter of 2021 after falling by 15.1% in the first quarter of this year, the State Statistics Service published such a preliminary estimate.
The negative dynamics of the economy is still softer than the NBU expected, but the experience of 2014-2015 and the prolongation of the war allow us to assume that the situation may worsen in the future, Oleksandr Paraschiy, the head of the analytical department of Concorde Capital investment company, believes.
Export of goods from Ukraine in August increased by 13.9% compared to July to $3.363 billion, while imports decreased by 2.3% to $4.416 billion, the Ministry of Economy reported.
The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) preliminary estimates the growth of annual inflation in August at the level of up to 23%, Deputy Governor of the NBU Serhiy Nikolaychuk said.
The growth of consumer prices in Ukraine in August 2022 accelerated to 1.1% from 0.7% in July, the State Statistics Service of Ukraine reported on Friday. In August last year, 0.2% deflation was recorded, so year-over-year, in August this year, inflation rose to 23.8% from 22.2% in July and 21.5% in June.
Underlying inflation jumped even more last month, to 2.1% from 1.2% in July, 1.6% in June and 1.4% in May.
The draft state budget for 2023, which the government approved on Tuesday, is based on a forecast of 4.6% growth in real gross domestic product (GDP) and 37% nominal growth with inflation up to 30% and an average annual exchange rate of UAH 42/$1, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said.
The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) kept the key policy rate at 25% at the September 7 meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) unanimously supported MPC members, the NBU said on its website.
The total area of residential buildings for which construction permits have been issued (new construction) in January-June 2022 decreased by 1.8 times (44.5%) compared to the same period in 2021, to 2.5 million square meters, according to the State Statistics Service.
Economic Monitoring’s Project Manager – PhD in Economics, Maksim Urakin
A number of flights from Kiev and Odessa began on Saturday, November 5, according to Ukrzaliznytsia.
“New flights Kiev – Chisinau, Kiev – Peremyshl, Odessa – Kramatorsk, Zhmerinka – Khutor-Mikhailovsky start today,” is indicated in a message in the telegram channel.
It is noted that several other announced novelties are preparing for the first flights. Schedules will be announced in the coming days.
Quotes of interbank currency market of Ukraine (UAH for $1, IN 01.09.2022-30.09.2022)
Microsoft will provide Ukrainian critical infrastructure and other state-critical sectors with $100 million in technology assistance by the end of 2023, company Vice President Brad Smith said during a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister – Head of the Ministry of Digital Affairs Mikhail Fedorov on Thursday.
“With technical assistance, government agencies, critical infrastructure and other sectors in Ukraine will continue to use digital infrastructure and work in the Microsoft cloud for free. The company will also help with the curation and implementation of Ukraine’s digital sectors, such as cyber, judiciary, customs, medicine and education,” the company said in a statement to the Ministry of Digital in its Telegram channel.
Fedorov noted that Microsoft was one of the first companies to suspend all new sales of products and services in Russia back in early March.
“During this time, Ukraine has received more than $400 million in support. In addition to free services, Microsoft supports Ukraine in the field of cyber, donates to humanitarian aid and cooperates with the Ukrainian government to document the war crimes of Russian invaders,” the deputy prime minister said.
