In October 2023, Ukraine managed to export 4.8 million tons of agricultural products, up 15% from the same period of the previous month, the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club reported on Facebook.
According to the report, the increase in exports in October 2023 was achieved despite problems with routes through the Danube river ports – traditional seasonal shallow water, which prevents the entry of larger vessels, and a decrease in the load on barges.
“Part of the increase in exports was due to the addition of another export channel – the seaports of Odesa region, which are currently operating as part of a temporary sea corridor. However, the volume of exports through this channel is very far from pre-war levels,” the analysts stated.
According to their information, in October 2023, Ukraine exported 2.5 mln tonnes of grains, 52% of which were wheat and 45% were corn, which showed a 20% increase compared to the previous month. Oilseeds were exported to 914.0 thsd tonnes (rapeseed – 48%, soybeans – 48% and sunflower seeds – 3%), up 4%.
In addition, exports of vegetable oils increased by 6% to 508.7 thousand tons (sunflower oil – 80%, rapeseed oil – 14%, and soybean oil – 6%), and by 18% of cake – 491.5 thousand tons (sunflower oil – 86%, soybean oil – 14%).
Exports of corn and soybeans, which are currently being actively harvested, increased compared to the previous month.
“Although there has been an increase in exports, they remain insufficient to export the harvest that Ukraine has harvested this year. For the relatively normal functioning of the agricultural market, Ukraine needs to export about 6 million tons of food per month, preferably by sea, where logistics are less expensive,” the UCAB summarized.
The net profit of Ukrsibbank (Kyiv) in January-September 2023 amounted to UAH 5.66 billion, which is 2.7 times higher than the same period in 2022, according to the bank’s unconsolidated report for the third quarter.
According to the report, the bank’s net profit for the third quarter amounted to UAH 2.10 billion, which is UAH 0.28 billion more than in the second quarter and UAH 0.72 billion more than in the comparable period of the previous year.
According to the report, Ukrsibbank’s net interest income increased by 60.1% year-on-year to UAH 9.07 billion in January-September 2023, including a 20.9% increase to UAH 3.15 billion in the third quarter, which is UAH 0.10 billion more than in the second quarter of this year.
Net fee and commission income for the first nine months of this year increased by 9.2% to UAH 1.23 billion compared to the results of 2022. However, in July-September, this figure was 7.2% lower than last year, but 7.4% higher than in the second quarter of this year – UAH 0.41 billion.
Overall, net income from operating activities increased by 2.6 times year-on-year, while impairment loss decreased from UAH 2.43 billion in the first nine months of 2022 to UAH 0.25 billion, including only UAH 0.01 billion in the third quarter.
According to the report, in the first nine months of 2023, the bank’s assets grew by 22.7%, reaching UAH 133.09 billion by September 30.
This growth is mainly due to a significant increase in investments in securities – from UAH 45.76 billion to UAH 70.34 billion, mandatory reserves and short-term placements with the NBU – from UAH 5.32 billion to UAH 12.52 billion.
At the same time, the amount of the financial institution’s funds on correspondent accounts, loans and overnight deposits with banks decreased from UAH 34.57 billion to UAH 33.33 billion, as well as cash from UAH 2.7 billion to UAH 2.03 billion.
As for loans and advances to customers, they declined significantly in January-September this year, by 34.7% to UAH 9.62 billion. On the contrary, loans and advances to banks increased by 5.5% to UAH 0.40 billion since December 2022.
The loan portfolio of legal entities decreased by 32.8% to UAH 9.27 billion (excluding allocations to provisions) compared to the same period in 2022, and that of individuals by 32%.
In the first nine months of 2023, Ukrsibbank’s customer accounts increased by 20.1% to UAH 112.50 billion, and equity increased from UAH 13.10 billion to UAH 18.77 billion.
According to the National Bank of Ukraine, as of September 1, 2023, Ukrsibbank ranks 7th in terms of total assets (UAH 73.97 billion) among 64 operating banks in the country. In the third quarter, its network of outlets decreased by 8 to 222 points.
In October 2023, Ukrzaliznytsia JSC (UZ) transported 2.5 million tons of grain cargo by rail in all directions, including 1.656 million tons in export traffic, Valery Tkachev, Deputy Director of the Commercial Department, said at a meeting with the agricultural business on Thursday.
According to the report, the share of grain cargo transportation in the total volume was 16.5%. At the same time, the volume of average daily load increased to 75.7 thousand tons, which is 44% higher than in September. The record for grain transportation was set on October 25, when more than 90 thousand tons were loaded.
According to UZ, the top 3 railway stations for grain transportation include Vadul-Siret, which exported 136.6 thousand tons, Yahodyn – 121 thousand tons, Izov – 101 thousand tons.
In October 2023, 927.4 thsd tonnes of grain cargo were transported to seaports. The leaders in terms of grain transshipment were the port of Chornomorsk with 442.5 thsd tonnes, Odesa – 286 thsd tonnes and Izmail – 148.5 thsd tonnes.
From April to October 2023, GTSOU transported 3.2 bcm of natural gas from the EU and Moldova to Ukraine, which is 4.5 times more than in the same period last year – 716 mcm.
“The main volumes belong to foreign companies and have been received for storage in Ukrainian underground gas storage facilities,” GTS Operator of Ukraine LLC (GTSOU) reported on its website on Friday.
This season, the main source of natural gas supply was the Slovak direction – 1.373 billion cubic meters, or 43% of the total volume. Hungary received 918.2 million cubic meters (29%), Poland – 382.5 million cubic meters (12%), Romania through Moldova – 540.5 million cubic meters (16%).
According to the GTSOU, the southern branch of the Ukrainian GTS, which is part of the Trans-Balkan Corridor, was actively used this year for commercial gas supplies from Romania. Mostly, gas was transported via this route by order of foreign traders for storage in Ukraine.
“We are ready to offer new solutions to our customers, and among them, in particular, we see the Trans-Balkan Corridor. This route is able to unite the markets of Southern and Central Europe, connect LNG terminals in Greece, storage facilities in Ukraine and Central European consumers into one supply chain,” said Dmytro Lippa, CEO of the GTSOU.
As reported, stress testing conducted by the Ukrainian GTS and UGS operators with USAID assistance in August 2023 confirmed the high reliability of the Ukrainian gas infrastructure, including the storage and transportation of gas to foreign customers, even in the face of military risk of damage to key assets.
On the occasion of the annual celebration of the Ukrainian Winemaker’s Day and in order to support and popularize domestic wine producers, the capital will host the first Winemaker’s Day festival, which will feature products from all over Ukraine. The event will showcase both the ancient traditions and the modern approach of Ukrainian winemaking.
“In recent years, Ukrainian wine production has begun to revive largely thanks to small wineries and wine tourism. But the war has slowed this process to a large extent. One of the ways to stimulate the country’s economy to recover is to hold events that will help popularize domestic producers among consumers,” says Volodymyr Pechko, CEO of UKRSADVINPROM.
“Most major wine-producing countries support their producers and stimulate sales both in the domestic market and for export. Ukraine will not be able to develop as a wine country without systematic state support for domestic producers. That is why I am grateful to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy for its support in organizing the festival,” said Maksym Urakin, founder of the Kyiv-based think tank Experts Club.
According to him, Ukraine can produce much more wine than it does today, but competition from imported products is high. According to the Experts Club, imported wine occupies a significant share of the Ukrainian market, accounting for about 70% of total sales in the country, while the share of Ukrainian wine is about 30%.
“Holding thematic festivals dedicated to winemaking could open up unique varieties of Ukrainian wine to consumers, which are in no way inferior to French or Italian wines,” Urakin emphasized.
In her turn, Natalia Blagopoluchna, Head of the All-Ukrainian Association of Winemakers and Sommeliers, emphasized the unique organoleptic characteristics and taste of Ukrainian craft wines.
“The diversity of our wines is the result of unique local climatic conditions and the peculiarities of the grape varieties we use. They strike with their originality, arouse admiration and stimulate bold experiments,” she said.
The festival will be held on November 11-12 at the address: Kyiv, Dniprovska embankment, 12, RIVER MALL, food court area on the 3rd floor.
The festival program includes a presentation of Ukrainian craft wines, charity auctions, master classes from winemakers, tasting sessions, cooking shows, music performances and much more.
The festival is organized by the UKRSADVINPROM public union, the Club of Experts think tank, and the Association of Winemakers and Sommeliers.
The following Ukrainian wineries will take part in the festival:
– Zelenytsy winery “Zelenytsy Family Winery”;
– Gigineishvili Wine House;
– Slyvyno Winery, a private enterprise;
– Dnipro hills (Stoic Ukrainian winery);
– WINEIDEA;
– Tiras Vaineri LLC;
– 46 Parallel;
– Uman Winery of Igor Maksymenko;
– Father’s wine VB;
– Falko Winery;
– Villa Tinta;
– Institute of Horticulture of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine;
– Kulinichenko winery;
– KOBLEVO;
– Wines of the Silver Land;
– National Research Center “Tairov Institute of Viticulture and Winemaking” of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine.
The event is supported by the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine.
Tickets for the event can be purchased here.
EXPERTS CLUB, UKRSADVYNPROM, URAKIN, WINE, wine festival, WINEMAKING, ПЕЧКО
Foreign investors are looking for transparency, openness and willingness to cooperate in companies. This helps build trust and break down myths about corruption and instability.
This was stated by Marina Cheban, Head of the Legal Department of DIM Group, in an article for thepage.ua.
“While diplomats and politicians are discussing government investments, businesses should actively explore opportunities for existence and development in the new environment. An important aspect of successfully attracting investment from foreign companies is establishing partnerships with foreign investors. Foreign investors are looking for transparency, openness and willingness to cooperate in companies. This helps to build trust and break myths about corruption and instability,” she emphasizes.
Maryna Cheban shared an example of a successful partnership with a foreign investor company and attracting investment in the LUCKY LAND residential complex, which is notable for its scale and comprehensive social facilities. Foreign investors are interested not only in profit, but also in social issues and meeting the needs of the population. In particular, this applies to residents who migrated due to the war. The social aspect, along with well-thought-out planning and various services, creates a comfortable living environment, which makes the complex liquid and extends the product’s life cycle.
“At the moment, we cannot disclose the name of our partner and the size of the investment, but we can say with certainty that foreign investors are looking for long-term investments that bring passive income in the future, which means millions of dollars for construction and an example for other investors that the Ukrainian real estate market is potentially interesting to invest in. For the Ukrainian market, the cases of cross-border partnerships are an opportunity to share experiences, bring best practices, as well as a strategic opportunity to develop and create a positive image for the cumulative effect of building the Ukrainian real estate and development market,” Cheban said.
However, according to Cheban, attracting foreign investors to Ukrainian residential projects is not an easy task, and risk management plays an important role. An important step is project due diligence, which allows investors to understand all aspects of Ukrainian legislation, urban planning regulations, and other norms. Risk management includes a detailed analysis of risks that may arise, including military, political, tax, and economic factors. It is important for Ukrainian companies to demonstrate openness, trust and a deep understanding of the risks involved in attracting foreign investment. This is an important step for Ukraine’s development and building a safe investment environment.
DIM Group was founded in 2014 and consists of six companies covering all stages of construction. To date, it has commissioned 12 buildings in six residential complexes with a total residential area of over 218 thousand square meters. Six residential complexes of “comfort+” and “business class” categories are under construction: “New Autograph, Metropolis, Park Lake City, Lucky Land, etc.
