KYIV. Dec 3 (Interfax-Ukraine) – S-Rostok (Mykolaiv region), a large producer of vegetables in Ukraine, plans in 2016 to build a vegetable storage for 15,000 tonnes in Mykolaiv region.
“We will increase the area under carrots next year from 120 hectares to 330 hectares, build a modern vegetable storage for 15,000 tonnes for the new season,” Commercial Director Oleksandr Marchenko said at the 12th international conference “Vegetables and Fruit of Ukraine 2015. Restart.”
According to him, S-Rostok will build the vegetable storage facility for own funds.
The gross harvest of carrots and onions in 2016 is expected to reach 8,000-10,000 tonnes, of which about 10% will be exported to the EU. A contract with Spanish importers for vegetables supplies has been signed.
The company also plans in 2016 to obtain a Global GAP certificate to work with European customers.
S-Rostok was established in 2007. It grows onions, carrots, beets, celery, owns storage facilities with a capacity of 40,000 tonnes, of which 2,000 tonnes with a controlled atmosphere and 22,000 tonnes with freon cooling.
KYIV. Dec 3 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Khlibni Investytsii holding LLC, Ukraine’s large bread producer, has invested around EUR 2 million in modernization of its bakeries since September 2015, the holding said on its website.
The holding said that double liability company Ivano-Frankivsk bread baking complex started realizing a project on the new long loaf line worth EUR 1 million and it is planned to launch it in March 2016.
A modernized doughnut line was launched at the complex in November 2015. Its capacity is up to 80 tonnes a month. The products are made under the Tsar Khlib brand.
Public joint-stock company Chernivtsi bread baking complex took energy saving measures. A new boiler, waste heat exchangers and cook tops were installed. The measures allowed saving up to 30% of energy. The value of energy saving measures was EUR 500,000.
Public joint-stock company Teremno (Lutsk) is realizing the truck fleet upgrade program: five new trucks to transport bread were bought. It is planned to buy five more trucks. Investment totals EUR 300,000.
Berdychiv Bakery LLC expanded its retail chain: eight new bread kiosks were opened from September to December 2015.
The bakery also invested EUR 200,000 in confectionary production. The truck fleet of the company is being expanded.
Pershy Stolychny Bakery LLC installed equipment and launched the croissant line, the fleet was increased by 10 trucks and 10 new bread kiosks were opened.
KHARKIV. Dec 3 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Malyshev Plant (Kharkiv) is ready to ship a new batch of Ukrainian Oplot tanks to Thailand in December 2015 if the Defense Ministry of Ukraine agrees the shipment, Chief Engineer Oleksandr Sheiko has said.
“The delivery guideline is December, if the Defense Ministry agrees it,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
Sheiko did not specify the number of tanks that could be shipped. He said that if the ministry approves the shipment, the implementation of the Thai contract could be finished in 2016.
The Oplot tank has been developed by the Kharkiv-based Morozov Design and Engineering Bureau. The first two Oplot tanks entered service with the Ukrainian Armed Forces in May 2009. An over $200 million contract for the delivery of 49 Oplot tanks to Thailand was signed in 2011. The Malyshev company started implementing the contract in April 2012. Investment in the tanks’ serial production amounts to $30 million, according to the company management.
Experts estimate the Oplot tank has an 80% processing complexity coefficient, one of the world’s highest among new combat vehicles. The tank has advanced systems of protecting communication and control gear, including an active system for countering smart weapons, as well as night vision instruments and a remote- controlled machine-gun.
KYIV. Dec 3 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Around 20 investors have shown their interest in the possible purchase of Odesa Port-Side Plant at the privatization tender, including four U.S. companies, Norway’s Yara and some European companies, Head of the State Property Fund of Ukraine (SPF) Ihor Bilous said on Channel 5 TV late on Wednesday.
He said that companies from developing countries, in particular, Turkey, Morocco, Indonesia, China and Arab countries are also among potential buyers.
Traders and financial investors form a separate group.
He said that the plant is finishing designing the management presentation and it is almost ready to the visits of the potential buyers.
Bilous said that the largest risk for the tender scheduled for spring 2016 is the political risk, as the sale of Odesa Port-Side Plant was twice stopped manually.
A delay with the adoption of amendments to laws on privatization by the parliament that revokes the obligatory sale of 5% of shares on stock exchanges is among other risks. However, the preliminary compromise on the issue has been reached in the parliament.
Bilous also remained about litigation with Nortima affiliated with businessman Ihor Kolomoisky. Nortima won a tender to sell Odesa Port-Side Plant in 2009, although the tender results were overturned. He said that the next hearing is scheduled for December 9, and until now the State Property Fund won the dispute in all courts.
He said that the slammed tolling scheme will not be used at the plant.
“Only open purchases of gas at the lowest price will be used,” he said.
The plant’s supervisory board will approved a special procedure for buying gas and selling finished products.
ODESA. Dec 3 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Odesa customs office plans to guarantee customs clearance of imported raw materials for large Ukrainian producers at the prices given in invoices, Head of Odesa Regional State Administration Mikheil Saakashvili said at a meeting with head of Odesa customs office Yulia Marushevska.
“I met large producers who import raw materials for own production several times. Raw materials are not always imported from those 30 countries for the customs clearance of products from which invoice prices are used thanks to changes at the Odesa customs office. We refused using this principle for imports from other countries, as many companies artificially cut the prices and it is hard to monitor. If this is a large national producer, it is possible to efficiently control this. These companies should be supported in the current difficult economic situation. We’re obliged to relax imports of raw materials for them,” he said.
Saakashvili said that the preferential treatment is credit of trust. If any company sets the price of raw materials too low to pay smaller taxes and duties, the company would not be treated in this way anymore.
KYIV. Dec 3 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Areas (DCFTA) between Ukraine and the European Union (EU) which take effect from January 1, 2016 creates unique opportunities for business, when efficiency, competitiveness and quality are the decisive factors of market share, not corruption, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said.
“When it is not corruption, which is linked with our eastern neighbor “pays more have the larger market share” that will be the decisive factors of market share, but simple business factors – efficiency, competitiveness and quality – will be decisive,” Poroshenko said at the Ukrainian-Lithuanian Economic Forum during his working visit to Lithuania on Wednesday.
Speaking to the representatives of businesses of the two countries the Ukrainian president reminded the events happened two years ago when Ukrainian society and Ukrainian business were waiting for the signing of the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement.
“When it was learnt that the agreement will not be signed, next day millions of people entered the streets. They did not demand the increase of salaries or pensions, reduction of taxes or receiving any social benefits. People demanded Europe,” Poroshenko said.
The press service of the head of state reported that the forum, in particular, will present the program of privatization of Ukrainian state enterprises and investment opportunities of Ukraine. The parties will also discuss potential implementation of the Association Agreement for economic cooperation between the two countries. Special attention will be paid to the cooperation in transport and energy sectors.
Ukraine-Lithuania business forum was organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Association of Lithuanian Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Crafts (ALCCIC), Vilnius Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Crafts, the Economic Development and Trade Ministry of Ukraine, Ukrainian League of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (ULIE), Chamber of Commerce of Ukraine and Kyiv Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
