Business news from Ukraine

TRADE MISSION TO INDIA FOR UKRAINIAN AGRIBUSINESS SCHEDULED FOR SEPT – MINISTRY

KYIV. March 30 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The trade mission to India for representatives of Ukraine’s agricultural and food industry will be organized in September 2017, Ukraine’s Agricultural Policy and Food Ministry reported on Wednesday.
“As usual, this will be joint work of the Agricultural Policy and Food Ministry, Economic Development and Trade Ministry and Export Promotion Office. September was selected not by chance. In this period Mumbai will host one of the largest exhibitions “Annapoorna – World of Food India 2017,” Deputy Agricultural Policy and Food Minister for European Integration Olha Trofimtseva said.
The ministry said that in 2016 India was first among the countries where Ukrainian food was exported. Its share of exports was 10.2%.

AVELLANA GOLD TO START DISPOSING WASTE, RECLAIM MUZHIYIVSKE POLYMETALLIC ORE FIELD IN 2017 – AUTHORITY

KYIV. March 30 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Cyprus-based Avellana Gold intends to start disposing waste accumulated by the previous deposit user and reclaiming land parcels on the Muzhiyivske polymetallic ore field (Zakarpattia region) in 2017, the press service of the State Service for Geology and Deposits has reported.
The company said that filters to neutralize acid waters and the heavy element water control system have been installed. The operation of the settlement pond near Muzhiyevo is being resumed.
In 2016, Avellana Gold acquired Carpathian Ore Company and Western Geological-Prospecting Company that have permits to explore polymetallic ores in Zakarpattia region (Muzhiyivske, Berehove and Kvasivske fields)
Brian C Savage is head and shareholder of Avellana Gold.

UKRAINE SOWS SPRING CROPS ON 845,000 HA – MINISTRY

KYIV. March 29 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine has started the spring sowing campaign in all regions and sowed crops on 845,000 ha or 35% of the target (2.4 million ha), Ukraine’s Agricultural Policy and Food Ministry has reported.
According to a posting on the ministry’s website, spring wheat was sowed on 43,000 ha or 23% of the target being 190,000 ha, spring barley – on 578,000 ha or 33% (1.7 million ha), oats – on 42,000 ha or 20% (208,000 ha) and peas on 183,000 ha or 66% (276,000 ha).
Fertilizers were applied to 6.8 million ha of areas with winter crops or 95% of the target (7 million ha).
As reported, referring to the ministry, it is planned to sow spring crops on 7.2 million ha in 2017, including early spring crops on 2.4 million ha.

UKRAINE MORE THAN TRIPLES EXPORTS OF CRANBERRIES, BILBERRIES IN 2016

KYIV. March 29 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine exported 2,900 tonnes of cranberries and bilberries in 2016, and this was 3.3 times more than in 2015, Ukraine’s Agricultural Policy and Food Ministry has reported.
According to a Tuesday posting, the largest importers of Ukrainian berries were Poland (1,400 tonnes), the Netherlands (613 tonnes) and Belarus (541 tonnes). In general, exports of cranberries and bilberries brought $6.9 million of currency income last year.
The ministry said that exports of raspberries, blackberries and mulberries more than doubled, to 720 tonnes and exports of strawberries grew by 1.7 times, to 2,270 tonnes.
“First since 2013 Ukraine exported 79 tonnes of currant for $18,200,” the ministry said.

UKRAINIAN FARMERS COULD RECEIVE BUDGET SUBSIDIES FROM MID-APRIL

KYIV. March 29 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Automated payments of subsidies to agricultural producers for February under the government support program are to start from April 15, 2017, Ukraine’s Agricultural Policy and Food Ministry reported on Tuesday.
“The main thing what farmers are to do now to receive subsidies for February is to submit applications to the State Fiscal Service before April 1, 2017. The authority has started filling in the relevant register. Payments will start from April 15. All conditions for this have been created,” Minister Taras Kutoviy said.
The ministry said that before April 5 the assignments in line with the monthly budget targets will be allocated. Before April 10 the State Fiscal Service will form the register of budget subsidy recipients. From April 15, the State Treasury will start settling payments automatically sending the sums of budget subsidies from the non-budget account of the ministry to relevant recipients.
The ministry said that a total of UAH 217.3 million has been accumulated to pay in April 2017.

ECONOMY MINISTRY POINTS OUT 75 MARKETS WHERE UKRAINE NOT USING FULL TRADE POTENTIAL

KYIV. March 29 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine’s Economic Development and Trade Ministry has pointed out 75 markets in the draft exports strategy of Ukraine where Ukraine is not using the trade potential in full, seeing a shortfall of around $6 billion.
According to the published document during its presentation on Tuesday, in particular, Ukraine insufficiently uses the opportunities of trade cooperation with the United States, Germany, UK, France, Japan and Canada.
According to the strategy, exports of goods and services in 2012-2016 almost halved – from $82.4 billion to $44.9 billion.
The ministry said that the EU market share of total Ukrainian exports of goods over the period grew from 25% ($17 billion) to 37.1% ($13.5 billion), the India’s share rose from 3.2% ($2.3 billion) to 5.2% ($1.9 billion), China’s – from 2.6% ($1.7 billion) to 5% ($1.8 billion). Exports of goods and services to Russia fell almost 80%, to from $17.3 billion to $3.6 billion.
According to the document, the share of Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk regions of total exports of Ukrainian goods fell from 26.6% in 2013 to 10.4% in 2015 (data of the State Statistics Service, not taking into account the ATO zone and Crimea). In the period from 2013 to 2015, exports from Donetsk region fell by 70% and from Luhansk region – by 93%.
The cost of exports losses due to these regions jointly with the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea was $12.9 billion, while total exports losses of Ukraine in the past two years amounted to UAH $25.2 billion.