The PRAVIO group of companies is investing in the construction and modernization of the recently acquired bankrupt cheese factory Gadyachsyru (Poltava region) to transform it into a modern export-oriented enterprise producing soft cheeses, sour milk cheese, and other products, said RAVIO founder and president Valentin Zaporoshchuk in a comment to BusinessCensor.
He noted that he acquired Gadyachsyir in February 2025.
“All of these products are in demand on the European market today. The plans include the construction of a plant with a processing capacity of up to 1,000 tons of milk per day, with an investment of EUR180 million. These will be funds raised from European banks. We have partners from Europe who are ready to join us in the project,” Zaporoshchuk said.
According to him, an audit is currently being conducted at the enterprise, which has been idle for almost five years. The company’s problems began in 2013–2014, when Gadyachsyir remained almost the only Ukrainian dairy plant that exported products to Russia and had no other stable partners. Later, the plant tried to participate in international exhibitions, but financial difficulties became inevitable.
Zaporoshchuk is convinced that the site and the region are promising for the development of a new enterprise.
“The Poltava region is one of the largest in terms of milk production and large farms. At its peak, the enterprise processed more than 2,000 tons of milk per day. And that’s not a bad volume. Of course, other enterprises have now taken over these volumes. But when we build a new enterprise with a strategic set of solutions on this site, it will be competitive, and milk producers will return to us,” added Zaporoshchuk.
The PRAVIO Group of Companies unites the Ichnia Milk Canning Plant, which specializes in milk processing and the production of canned dairy products, the Proviant Trading House, and has a raw materials division – the Mayak agricultural company, which specializes in crop production, and the Obmachivski Zirky company, which specializes in animal husbandry and crop production.
The group of companies owns the PRAVIO, MamaMilla, Milada, and Ichnia trademarks, whose products are exported to 40 countries worldwide and distributed in Ukraine through its trading house Proviant.
As of September 29, Ukraine exported 235,000 tons of barley, despite the absence of supplies to China. Export rates and barley prices were supported by a tender in Turkey, according to the analytical cooperative “Pusk,” created within the framework of the All-Ukrainian Agrarian Council (VAR).
“Last week, Turkey’s state procurement company announced a tender for 255,000 tons of barley. This factor became the main driver of the market, ensuring a temporary increase in prices. Currently, the conditional prices for Ukrainian barley are $215–217 per ton, or 10,150–10,250 UAH/ton in ports. There is almost no support for prices on the domestic market, as barley remains more expensive than other feed crops,” analysts noted.
Experts believe that thanks to the Turkish tender, the market may maintain relatively high price levels for another week, with a possible increase of $1–2 per ton. However, after the tender activity ends, the price may return to the range of $210–214 per ton.
“In October, the barley market will traditionally be guided by wheat price dynamics. If the wheat market continues to show growth prospects, barley will also gradually rise in price,” Pusk concluded.
In January-September of this year, the Zaporizhstal metallurgical plant increased its rolled steel production by 14.1% compared to the same period last year, from 1.829 million tons to 2.0866 million tons.
According to the plant’s press release, steel production for the period amounted to 2 million 385.2 thousand tons (in January-September 2024 – 2 million 176.7 thousand tons), and 2 million 642.6 thousand tons of pig iron (2 million 297.5 thousand tons).
In September, Zaporizhstal produced 303.4 thousand tons of pig iron, 279.8 thousand tons of steel, and 247.3 thousand tons of rolled products, compared to 309 thousand tons of pig iron, 264 thousand tons of steel, and 231.2 thousand tons of rolled products in the previous month.
As reported, in 2024, Zaporizhstal increased its rolled steel output by 18.1% compared to 2023, to 2 million 426.7 thousand tons from 2 million 54.7 thousand tons, and steel output by 17.2%, to 2 million 890.8 thousand tons, and pig iron by 14.2%, to 3 million 106.3 thousand tons.
In 2023, Zaporizhstal increased its rolled steel production by 57.2% compared to 2022, to 2 million 54.7 thousand tons, steel by 65.4%, to 2 million 466.9 thousand tons, and pig iron by 35.3%, to 2 million 718.9 thousand tons.
Zaporizhstal is one of Ukraine’s largest industrial enterprises, whose products are in high demand among consumers both in the domestic market and in many countries around the world.
Zaporizhstal is a joint venture of the Metinvest Group, whose main shareholders are System Capital Management (71.24%) and Smart Steel Limited (23.76%). Metinvest Holding LLC is the managing company of the Metinvest Group.
The mining and metallurgical group Metinvest has allocated UAH 9.72 billion to support the state and its citizens, including UAH 5.2 billion for the army’s needs as part of Rinat Akhmetov’s Steel Front military initiative, according to the company’s CEO Yuriy Ryzhenkov.
“In the context of full-scale war, Metinvest has mobilized all its resources to preserve its workforce and protect the state. For more than three and a half years, our priority has been to help the army. After all, the future of the state, industry, Ukrainian cities, and families depends on the army’s defense capabilities. During this time, Metinvest has allocated UAH 5.2 billion to the needs of the defenders as part of Rinat Akhmetov’s Steel Front military initiative. In total, UAH 9.72 billion has been allocated to help Ukraine. We continue to work, believe in the country, and support its people on the path to victory,” said the CEO.
According to the company, despite their proximity to the front line and the threat of enemy shelling, the group’s enterprises in Zaporizhzhia, Kryvyi Rih, and Kamianske continue to operate at varying levels of capacity, taking into account security, energy, logistical, and economic factors.
The company noted that the main value of Metinvest remains the life and health of its employees. All of the company’s enterprises in Ukraine have bomb shelters equipped for long-term stays. The shelters have water, food, and medicine. Employees are trained to provide first aid and respond to emergencies related to military risks.
Despite losing operational control over its assets in Mariupol and Avdiivka and suspending the activities of the Pokrovsk Coal Group, Metinvest remains one of Ukraine’s largest exporters.
Even during the war, Metinvest is investing in major repairs and equipment upgrades. In particular, Kametstal is implementing a record program worth over UAH 2.5 billion this year.
Metinvest also continues to pursue a green transformation of its production. Together with its partners, the company has announced the construction of a modern metallurgical plant in Italy. It will consume Ukrainian iron ore and metallurgical raw materials, ensuring synergy between Ukraine and the EU.
The group is investing in energy independence. In July 2025, two new gas-fired power generators began operating at Northern GOK. In two months of operation, the units generated 1,040 MWh of electricity, which brought an economic effect of UAH 2.3 million. In total, four such units are planned to be installed at Northern GOK.
The company states that it remains one of the largest taxpayers in Ukraine: in 2024, the company transferred UAH 19.8 billion to budgets of all levels. In the first half of 2025, another UAH 9.3 billion was paid to the budget.
Metinvest is a vertically integrated group of mining and metallurgical enterprises. Its enterprises are located in Ukraine – in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk regions – as well as in the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The main shareholders of the holding company are SCM Group (71.24%) and Smart Holding (23.76%). Metinvest Holding LLC is the managing company of the Metinvest Group.
The Ukrainian cement market has stabilized after sharp fluctuations in 2021–2023, but production volumes remain almost half of what they were before the war. This is stated in an analysis by Experts Club, prepared in collaboration with the Ukrcement association.
In 2021, cement production reached 11 million tons, fell to 5.4 million tons in 2022, recovered to 7.43 million tons in 2023, and to 7.93 million tons in 2024. According to manufacturers’ estimates, the “ceiling” in 2025 will be around 8 million tons.
Consumption: 10.6 million tons in 2021, 4.5 million tons in 2022, 6.2 million tons in 2023, and 6.3 million tons in 2024. Thus, the market has stabilized at 6–6.5 million tons, which is about half of pre-war demand.
The structure of demand has changed: instead of residential and commercial construction, infrastructure and defense projects dominate — fortifications, shelters, urgent repairs of roads and bridges. Demand is additionally supported by state programs, including “єОселя.”
In 2025, experts expect stable “military” demand to continue, sensitive to budget financing and donor assistance.
Experts Club is a Ukrainian analytical center specializing in research on economics, energy, macroeconomics, infrastructure, and export-import relations.
A condensed version of the Experts Club’s cement market study is available at https://expertsclub.eu/rynok-czementu-ukrayiny-doslidzhennya-experts-club/
The Ukrcement Association brings together Ukraine’s leading cement producers.
In January-July 2025, Ukraine exported agricultural and food products worth $5.73 billion to the European Union, which is $891 million, or 13%, less than in the same period last year, according to an EU report.
At the same time, Ukraine managed to maintain its fourth place in the list of suppliers of agricultural products to the EU during this period. Ahead of it are Brazil ($9.1 billion), the United Kingdom ($7.8 billion), and the United States ($6.9 billion).
The ranking of the largest suppliers of agricultural products to the EU also includes China ($5.24 billion), Côte d’Ivoire ($5.05 billion), Turkey ($3.68 billion), Vietnam ($2.81 billion), Argentina ($2.57 billion), and Switzerland ($2.51 billion).
In total, agricultural imports to the EU in January-July 2025 are estimated at $96.8 billion (+16%).
Agricultural exports from the EU during the same period amounted to $118.7 billion (+2%). At the same time, $2.1 billion (+17%) worth of goods were supplied to Ukraine.
