The American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine represents over 600 Member Companies and affiliated parties – the biggest investors and largest multinationals operating in Ukraine which contribute greatly to the state budget and create new jobs.
In 2018 the Chamber welcomed 82 new members, among which: 36 large strategic and institutional investors, 15 mid cap companies, and 31 small companies and service providers, NGOs, educational institutions and donor funded projects. The majority of new members belong to HealthCare, Innovative, Agricultural and Logistics industries.
The Chamber’s vision is to be the positive driver of change in the business environment to benefit Ukraine, but if you ask the new members why did they join the Chamber you will hear the following:
Dell EMC: “We are proud to become a part of AmCham Ukraine ecosystem. We gain an opportunity to accelerate our relationship with the local business community and officials. Membership opens additional ways for networking with customers, and partners. In the whole, it enriches the company’s local experience and enhances our efficiency in Ukraine.” – Iryna Volk, General Manager Dell EMC in Ukraine.
L’Oréal Ukraine: “It’s great honor to be a member of American Chamber of Commerce community because it brings prospects to business development in Ukraine and establishes transparent business opportunities for sustainable growth.” – Mark Sawchuk, Country Manager, L’Oréal Ukraine.
GSK Consumer Healthcare: “We strongly appreciate all the work the Chamber is already doing. Therefore, to make further steps we want to take active part in the projects helping our industry to move forward and achieve new goals.” – Nicolo Pome, General Manager Ukraine and CIS, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Ukraine.
Väderstad LLC: “To be a member of AmCham Ukraine is to participate in the improvements of the business environment in agriculture business and cooperate more effectively with market players, government bodies and governmental organizations; to help with the development of more robust and safe business environment within the rapidly growing agriculture industry in Ukraine.” – Vitaliy Filatov, CEO.
Operating in Ukraine since 1992, the Chamber cooperates closely with Ukrainian authorities to improve the business environment and attract foreign investments into the economy, advocates for predictable, transparent, equitable and stable rules of doing business.
The Wind Parks of Ukraine Group has started building a wind farm near Kramatorsk (Donetsk region). Atomwind-Kramatorsk LLC is the customer of the project.
MP Maxim Efimov wrote on his Facebook page that on January 19, 2019 the concrete casting of foundation was started for the first wind unit.
At the end of 2018, PJSC Energomashspetsstal (Kramatorsk) made a nacelle of 43.5 tonnes. In January 2019, its processing was completed by Kramatorsk Heavy Tool-Building Plant (KZTS).
This year it is planned to install three wind units made by Fuhrlander Windtechnology (Kramatorsk) with a power handling capacity of 4.5 MW and 4.8 MW. It will take three years to build the wind farm with 15 wind units.
Energomashspetsstal in 2019 plans to produce 15 rotor drive shafts for wind farms with a capacity of 4.5 MW.
Fuhrlander Windtechnology is the sole producer of modern wind units in Ukraine. The beneficiaries of the company are the co-owner of ISD Corporation Oleh Mkrtchan and MP Efimov (Petro Poroshenko Block parliamentary faction).
Foreign trade flow of agricultural products and food in 2018 totaled $24.3 billion, including over $18.84 billion of exported goods, and it grew by 5% compared with 2017, Ukraine’s Agricultural Policy and Food Ministry has reported.
“According to the results of 2018, Ukrainian agricultural exports grew by more than $880 million compared to 2017 and hit a new record of $18.8 billion. During this period, exports of agricultural products to the markets of Asia and the European Union increased significantly. Ukrainian agricultural exports to Asia exceeded $8 billion, and in 2018 we exported more than $6.3 billion worth of agricultural and food products to the EU countries,” Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy for European Integration Olha Trofimtseva said.
According to her, last year, the lion’s share of Ukrainian agricultural exports was traditionally formed by grain crops, with a share of 38.4%, vegetable oils – 23.3% and oilseeds – 10.2%.
“I also want to point out the goods, thanks to which there was an increase in exports. This is corn, wheat, rapeseed, cake, meat and poultry by-products, various oils, tobacco and products from it, eggs, confectionery, and other food,” Trofimtseva said.
The deputy minister said that exports of crop products increased by $762.3 million compared to 2017 and amounted to $17.4 billion. The value of exports of livestock products also increased by $118.1 million and reached $1.4 billion.
Trofimtseva said that the largest buyers of Ukrainian agricultural and food products in 2018 were: India, where agricultural products were exported for more than $1.8 billion, China – $1.2 billion, the Netherlands – $1.2 billion, Spain – $1.04 billion and Egypt – $888.7 million
“During this period, imports of agricultural and food products also increased noticeably and amounted to almost $5.5 billion. Ukraine most actively bought the following food products: fish, crustaceans and mollusks, fruits, nuts, tobacco and products from it, cocoa beans, chocolate, butter , tea, coffee and other food,” the deputy minister said.
Large ferroalloy enterprises of Ukraine – Nikopol and Zaporizhia Ferroalloy plants – in 2018 totally increased production by 0.8% compared with 2017, to 1.035 million tonnes.
The Ukrainian Association of Ferroalloy Manufacturers told Interfax-Ukraine that over the period silicon-manganese production grew by 6%, to 859,640 tonnes, while ferromanganese output fell by 30.6%, to 79,480 tonnes.
In addition, production of ferrosilicon (45% concentrate) fell by 18.8%, to 75,440 tonnes, and manganese metal – by 2.4%, to 7,460 tonnes.
Nikopol Ferroalloy Plant also produced 13,150 tonnes of other ferroalloys, while in 2017 it was 1,410 tonnes (a 9.3-fold rise).
The country’s two manganese concentrate producers, the Pokrovsky (formerly Ordzhonikidze) and Marhanets mining and beneficiation plants, produced 1.522 million tonnes of manganese concentrate in 2018, which is 6.8% more than in2017.
Marhanets mining and beneficiation plant produced 570,440 tonnes of concentrate (a rise of 4.6%) and Pokrovsky mining and beneficiation plant made 951,460 tonnes (a rise of 8.2%). In addition, the latter produced 196,600 tonnes of manganese sinter(21.3% up year-over-year).
Kokhavynska paper factory (Lviv region), a tissue and toilet paper producer (the Kokhavynka trademark), in 2018 increased production by 27.8% compared with 2017, to UAH 538.78 million.
According to the Ukrpapir association, production of paper at the factory in kind increased 11%, to 37,050 tonnes. At the same time, production of toilet paper rose by 6.1%, to 111.07 million rolls (a total of 683.77 million rolls was made in Ukraine in 2018, a rise of 1%).
Kokhavynska paper factory has been operating since 1939. The factory producers base paper for hygienic goods, toilet paper and paper towels. The capacity of paper making machines is 19,000 tonnes per year, processing equipment 90 million rolls a year.
As reported, in 2017 the factory produced goods worth UAH 421.5 million, which is 23% more than a year earlier, paper production grew by 23.7%, to 33,350 tonnes.
In 2018 the factory planned to increase production to UAH 550 million.
The factory exports about 40% of the products. The main consumers abroad are the Czech Republic, Romania, as well as companies from Belarus, Moldova, Hungary, and the Netherlands.