KYIV. April 5 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine’s Ministry of Infrastructure in cooperation with the ProZorro e-procurement system (March 2015-March 2016) organized and held 7,980 tenders worth about UAH 1.576 billion, resulting in savings of more than UAH 102 million.
According to the press service of the ministry, when working with government customers it is important to analyze in detail the documentary base of the counterparty and a declared tender, pay particular attention to the legal aspects of cooperation, unite for the sake of the market growth and improving quality. The system keeps track of allies in the name of the AMC, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and new heads of enterprises elected at open competitions.
The ministry also noted that the law on public procurement will come into force from April 1, 2016. The law aims to ensure effective and transparent procurement, create a competitive environment in public procurement, prevent corruption in this area and develop fair competition.
KYIV. April 5 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The Astarta agro-industrial holding, the largest sugar producer in Ukraine, has started the spring sowing campaign. The total area for spring sowing is expected to reach 170,000 ha including forage crops for dairy farming segment.
The company said in a press release on Monday that Astarta’s crop structure will include sugar beet (up to 45,000 ha), corn (44,000 ha) and soybeans (42,000 ha).
According to the company’s report, Astarta in 2015 narrowed sugar beets planted areas by 29%, to 34,000 ha to adjust to the narrowing of the domestic sugar market.
The press service said that as of beginning of April barley sowing campaign was successfully complete, while planting of sugar beet and sunflower is on the way. Soybeans and corn sowing is to follow.
“In contrast to earlier expectations, winter crops are generally in good condition and have healthy yield potential. Despite dry weather during autumn phase of growth, especially in Poltava region, mild winter, rainy March and timely feeding of winter crops with fertilizers in spring provided accelerated dynamic vegetation process,” the holding said.
Astarta is a vertically integrated agro-industrial holding, uniting six regional divisions in Poltava, Vinnytsia, Khmelnytsky, Ternopil, Zhytomyr, and Kharkiv regions. They include nine sugar factories, agricultural farms with a land bank of about 245,000 hectares and dairy farms. The holding last year commissioned a plant for processing soybeans in Poltava region (Globyno processing plant).
KYIV. April 5 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Frunze Plant (Kharkiv), the leading Ukrainian manufacturer of fencing systems, first entered the Austrian market after shipping a batch of punched screens for Austria’s Fa Biokorn.
The company said in a press release on Friday that the punched screens are of innovative design made jointly with Kharkiv National Technical University of Agriculture.
The screens are made for screening buckwheat. The holes are epicycloidal instead of triangular. The solution helps increasing screening efficiency by 40%.
The press service said that Frunze Plant is the world’s only producer of these punched screens.
Fa Biokorn bought a test batch and the contract could be signed after the tests.
Frunze Plant, founded in 1885, produces screens for agriculture machinery, flooring grills, netting and fencing systems for the construction industry, elements of urban environment (waste baskets, benches), storage racks and others.
KYIV. April 5 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Zorya-Mashproekt (Mykolaiv) is extending military and technical cooperation with India.
According to the plant’s press service, during the ninth International Defense Exhibition DEFEXPO 2016, held in South Goa (India) on March 28-31, Zorya-Mashproekt and the Ministry of Defense of India signed two new contracts for the supply of energy equipment for Indian Navy ships.
“The parties have achieved agreement on the launch of a vast program of engine overhauls under the existing contracts. The first batch of equipment from the Indian Navy will come to the plant in the second quarter of 2016,” the press service said, adding that the work on the new contracts will allow to increase load on the plant’s production capacity.
At present India is the leading partner of Zorya-Mashproekt in the field of military-technical cooperation. The parties have been cooperating for more than 20 years: the company supplies equipment to India on a number of projects, both for equipping new ships of the Indian Navy and in the framework of servicing the existing fleet, reads the report.
KYIV. April 5 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine and India seek to expand defense cooperation.
The press service of the Ukroboronprom State Concern reported last week that during the negotiations with Indian top defense sector managers held at the Defexpо India 2016 Land, Naval & Internal Homeland Security Systems Exhibition (March 38 through March 31) in South Goa, India. Mutual interest was expressed in developing cooperation with India on upgrading the military and transport aviation of Indian Armed Forces and development of Indian Naval.
Indian partners are also interested in joint implementing projects in the production of radars and naval inspection systems, modernization of armored vehicles, air defense systems and aircraft weapons, the press service said.
The Ukrainian delegation at the exhibition held talks on cooperation with over 30 Indian defense companies, including Reliance Defence Ltd, Tata Power Company Ltd, Punj Lloyd and Larsen Turbo. A total of 15 memorandums of cooperation have been signed.
Defexpо India 2016 is the largest weapon exhibition in South Asia.
Ukraine exhibited armored vehicles, military and transport aviation and high-accuracy weapon and aircraft weapons.
The business community of Ukraine has appealed to the peers and civil society in the Netherlands to support the ratification of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU at a referendum on April 6. An open joint statement was adopted at the Ukrainian Business Forum, which was recently held in Kyiv and presented the consolidated position of the majority of domestic enterprises.
“Ukraine is a European country that shares common history and values with the EU countries. It has already sustained considerable losses in the struggle for the irreversibility of European integration. The main purpose of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU is to establish modern European standards, the rule of law, protection of private property, equal competition,” participants in the Forum said.
Co-initiator of the Forum, President of the Ukrainian League of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, Chairman of the Anti-Crisis Council of NGOs Anatoliy Kinakh said that the introduction of a free trade zone, which is a significant part of the Association Agreement, is aimed at streamlining trade legislation, eliminating most of existing limitations, expanding trade relations between Ukraine and the European Union.
“This allows any EU company to enjoy the same access to the Ukrainian partners and market as, let say, to partners and the markets in Belgium, Italy, Sweden, and Poland. Under the Agreement, Ukraine also undertakes to implement a series of reforms, the fulfillment of which will substantially change the current legislation of Ukraine in the field of trade, environmental standards, social security. These reforms will bring Ukraine closer to EU legislative standards,” reads the joint statement by the business community of Ukraine.
Representatives of Ukrainian businesses and the public urged his colleagues from the Netherlands to support Ukraine’s European aspirations and in every way possible to encourage the positive results of the referendum on April 6.
As is known, the Parliament of the Netherlands ratified the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU on July 7, 2015, after which the document was signed by the King of the country. The initiative to hold the referendum was put forth by members of the public who managed to collect the required number of signatures for it. The Dutch electoral council scheduled an advisory referendum for April 6, 2016.
The Ukrainian business forum brought together about two hundred associations and organizations of industrialists, entrepreneurs, employers, scientists and experts who have consolidated their forces for the sake of overcoming the crisis and the economic growth of the state.
The co-organizers of the Forum include large and influential business and public organizations: the Council of Entrepreneurs under the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, the Ukrainian League of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, the Anti-Crisis Council of NGOs, the Federation of Employers of Ukraine, the “Ukrainian Business Initiative” Association, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Ukraine, the Nova Kraina civic platform, NGO “UA is Me.”
The main document of the Forum – a plan of urgent measures to overcome the emergency situation in the economy of Ukraine – is currently being finalized.
