Exports of Ukrainian agrarian products to European countries in January-December 2017 amounted to $5.8 billion and increased by 37.1% compared to the same period in 2016, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food has said.
According to the ministry’s website, the main Ukrainian products that were supplied to the EU market in 2017 were cereals ($1.7 billion), oil ($1.4 billion), and oilseeds ($1.1 billion).
The ministry notes that the growth of Ukrainian exports to the EU in 2017 was also due to the increase in the supply of niche processed and ready-made food products.
In particular, exports of poultry last year rose compared to 2016 by $64.9 million, to $133.7 million, bakery products and cereals by $32.4 million, to
$96.1 million, juices by $28, 3 million, to $70.7 million, honey by $25.5 million, to $98.8 million, confectionery products by $15.4 million, to $38.2 million.
The top five trade partners of Ukraine in the EU were the Netherlands with a share of 18%, Spain with 14.3%, Poland with 13.2%, Italy with 12%, and Germany with 10.5%.
“Last year we also imported 17.2% more European agricultural goods than in 2016. Overall, imports amounted to $2.3 billion. The main commodities of our imports were tobacco and tobacco goods, chocolate and products from cocoa beans, feed for animals, alcoholic drinks and other food,” Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food for European Integration Olha Trofimtseva said.
Exports of IT services from Ukraine in 2017 increased by 7.58% compared to 2016, to $2.485 billion ($2.31 billion in 2016), the IT Committee of the European Business Association (EBA) has told Interfax-Ukraine, with reference to a study of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU). “According to NBU preliminary data, the total volume of computer services exports for 2017 amounted to $2.485 billion, including operations for the sum less than $20,000 amounted to $842 million,” the report said.
According to the previously unveiled infographics of the IT Ukraine profile association on its website, exports of IT services in Ukraine in 2017 grew by 20% compared to 2016, to $3.6 billion.
The EBA is a non-governmental organization uniting more than 900 European, international and domestic companies operating in Ukraine. It was established in 1999 on the initiative of the European Commission, which is interested in supporting European business in Ukraine and establishing bilateral relations between Ukraine and the EU.
The IT Committee of the EBA is an industrial association of companies engaged in production of software and provision of software services.
Switzerland’s Acino pharmaceutical group has signed a license agreement with Dutch Biocare Copenhagen A/S, the manufacturer of probiotics, and would present the Optilakt fifth generation probiotic line in Ukraine.
Acino said in a press release that the probiotic will appear in the Ukrainian pharmacy chain in February 2018. The financial conditions of the deal are not disclosed.
According to the conditions of the license agreement, Acino will be the exclusive representative of three products of this trademark in Ukraine until 2022 inclusively.
Acino Ukraine Director General Yevhen Zaika said that in 2017, Acino entered the pediatrics segment, signing the distribution agreement with France’s Laboratoires Gilbert SAS being authorized to sell and promote some over-the-counter medicines in Ukraine.
Google LLC (Kyiv), under control of Google and providing advertising services, increased revenue by 75% in 2017, which is higher than the pace of 2016. The company entered the top 100 largest taxpayers of the country, Google LLC Director General Dmytro Sholomko has said.
“If two years ago the share of small and medium-sized businesses of revenue was 40%, now it exceeds 60%,” he said, explaining one of the main reasons for this growth during traditional discussion of the macroeconomic forecast for the year organized by the European Business Association (EBA).
Sholomko pointed out the rapid growth of the mobile Internet. He said that mobile Internet traffic has already exceeded the computer one, which also contributed to the good results.
In general, the general director of Google said that the technological business of Ukraine continues to grow rapidly, the country strengthens its image in this sector in the world, which is converted into the decision of major global technology companies to place their development centers here. He named PayPal, Samsung and Waze as an example. According to him, these centers are now being opened not only in Kyiv, Lviv and the cities with a million of population, but also in other regional centers.
Among the problems Sholomko pointed out the difficulties with financing this business in Ukraine, which reduces its competitiveness in comparison with neighboring countries, for example, Poland or Lithuania.
Google LLC in 2016 increased revenue by 61.3% – to UAH 1.004 billion, and in January-September 2017 it increased to UAH 1.082 billion. The net loss of the company in 2016 increased 2.7-fold, up to UAH 87.12 million, but in January-September 2017 it saw net profit of UAH 16.31 million.
According to the State Fiscal Service, in January-November 2017, Google has become the 94th largest tax payer in Ukraine, staying between FC Shakhtar (UAH 353.06 million of taxes) and Mariupol maritime merchandise port (UAH 339.85 million). Data on the exact amount of taxes paid by Google for this period are not available in the State Fiscal Service’s information.
Electricity supply companies Chernihivoblenergo, Lvivoblenergo, Prykarpattiaoblenergo and Sumyoblenergo plan to switch to Regulatory Asset Base (RAB) from April 1, 2018.
According to postings on the website of the companies, they held public discussions required for the switch to RAB on January 29 through February 1.
Prykarpattiaoblenergo plans to increase investment by six times with the switch to RAB.
“With existing investments, the restoration of 0.4-10 kV power lines, which today are subject to reconstruction and replacement, will last 87 years, and with the introduction of incentive tariffs, the power lines that are in unsatisfactory condition will be rebuilt within 16 years,” the company said.
According to the estimates of Prykarpattiaoblenergo, on average, every client of the company remains without power 7 minutes a day. After switching to RAB, by 2025 the company expects to reduce this indicator in towns by 60%, in villages by 75%.
Lvivoblenergo said that over 60% of the company’s power lines require reconstruction and replacement, while annual funding for these activities is about 50% of the required sum.
“Thus, the underfunding of the Lvivoblenergo’s power lines development program in 2012-2017 amounted to about UAH 400 million,” the company said in a statement.
Sumyoblenergo expects to reduce the index of the average duration of breaks in power supply to consumers by 50% for the urban areas and 63% for the rural areas within eight years.
“The annual reduction of operational control costs by 1% is expected from 2019, which will reduce the company’s share in the retail tariff for electric power. In addition, the use of indicators for the efficiency of technological costs of electricity will lead to a gradual decrease,” the company said.
