Business news from Ukraine

Business news from Ukraine

Ukrainian farmers harvested over 53 mln tons of grain and almost completed sunflower harvest

As of December 5, farmers have harvested 53.597 million tons of grain and legumes from 10.55 million hectares, which is 91% of the area sown with these crops, according to the Ministry of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture.

According to the Ministry of Economy, 23.5 million tons of corn have been harvested from 3.44 million hectares. As for wheat, its yield is slightly higher than a year ago – 22.96 million tons from 5.05 million hectares compared to 22.40 million tons from 4.9 million hectares, while barley is slightly lower – 5.42 million tons from 1.36 million hectares compared to last year’s 5.6 million tons from 1.41 million hectares.

This year’s pea harvest is significantly higher – 672,500 tons from 275,100 hectares compared to 469,000 tons from 212,300 hectares a year ago, while buckwheat and millet are still significantly lower – 82.7 thousand tons compared to 131.7 thousand tons and 62.1 thousand tons compared to 161.3 thousand tons, respectively.

The harvest of other cereals and legumes this year reached 899.6 thousand tons from 327.8 thousand hectares as of December 5, compared to 1 million tons a year ago.

The Ministry of Economy has calculated that the corn harvest has been gathered from 78% of the production areas allocated for this crop, millet – from 88%, buckwheat – from 97%, wheat and barley – from 98%.

As for oilseeds, their harvest as of December 5 is 17.11 million tons. In general, sunflower has been harvested from 93% of the sown areas, and soybeans from 97%. The rapeseed harvest has been completed, and it turned out to be only slightly less than last year’s – 3.31 million tons against 3.5 million tons from almost identical areas – about 1.3 million hectares.

Currently, 4.75 million tons of soybeans have been harvested from 2.00 million hectares, while 9.04 million tons of sunflower seeds have been harvested from 4.81 million hectares.

In addition, the harvest of sugar beets is also lagging behind: 98% of the production area has been harvested, yielding 10.39 million tons from 195,000 hectares.

In its October inflation report, the National Bank of Ukraine increased its estimate of the grain and legume harvest in 2025 to 61.5 million tons from 57.9 million tons in the July report, while lowering its estimate of the oilseed harvest to 19.3 million tons from 21.0 million tons.

The NBU recalled that last year, the grain harvest in Ukraine fell to 56.2 million tons from 59.8 million tons in 2023, and oilseeds from 21.7 million tons to 20 million tons.

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On December 8, Ukraine will hold auctions for industrial fishing rights for 2026

Auctions for the right to special use of aquatic biological resources in fishery water bodies (or parts thereof) in 2026 will be held on December 8 in the Prozorro.Prozori state electronic trading system, according to the State Agency for Fisheries.

“This will allow entrepreneurs to prepare their material and technical base in advance and plan their economic activities,” the agency noted.

A total of 246 lots will be put up for auction for industrial fishing in 2026, namely: Kremenchuk Reservoir – 59 lots, Dnipro-Buzka Estuary System – 35 lots, Kamyanske Reservoir – 32 lots, Kaniv Reservoir – 27 lots, the lower reaches of the Dniester River (with lakes, the Turunchuk branch) and the Dniester Estuary – 17 lots, the Danube River – 16 lots, Kyiv Reservoir – 15 lots, Dnipro Reservoir – 11 lots, Tiligul Estuary – 10 lots, Berezan Estuary – 8 lots, Dnipro River within Chernihiv Oblast – 8 lots, Desna River with lakes within Chernihiv Oblast – 8 lots.

The State Agency for Fisheries invited business entities that plan to engage in commercial fishing and have declared their right to do so by submitting a corresponding electronic declaration to participate in the auction.

“This is your opportunity to legally, transparently, and honestly obtain the right to industrial fishing, contributing to the food security of the state,” the agency emphasized, adding that detailed information about the lots, auction dates, starting prices, guarantee deposit amounts, volumes and types of aquatic biological resources, fishing gear, etc. can be found on the State Agency for Fisheries’ information resources and in the state system “Prozorro.Sales.”

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BBS Insurance increased its premium income by 65% in first nine months of 2025

Insurance company BBS Insurance (formerly Brokbusiness, Kyiv) collected UAH 660.03 million in gross premiums in January-September 2025, which is 64.70% more than in the same period of 2024.

This was reported by RA Expert-Rating in its confirmation of the insurance company’s financial stability rating at “uaAA” on the national scale.

According to the RA, the share of insurance premiums belonging to reinsurers increased by 44.6%, while their share in the company’s gross premium structure decreased by 0.23 p.p. to 1.63%.

In the first nine months of 2025, the company made 77.75% more insurance payments and reimbursements than in the first nine months of 2024, and the level of payments increased by 2.62 p.p. to 35.67%.

During the reporting period, the equity capital of IC “BBS Insurance” increased by 21.21% to UAH 196.84 million, while its gross liabilities increased by 61.05% to UAH 388.29 million. As a result of the higher growth rate of liabilities, the level of coverage of the insurer’s liabilities by equity capital decreased in the reporting period: by 16.67 p.p. to 50.69%.

Cash and cash equivalents increased by 58.62% to UAH 382.28 million, while the ratio of cash to liabilities decreased by 1.51 p.p. to 98.45%. Thus, as of the beginning of the fourth quarter of 2025, highly liquid assets covered 98.45% of the company’s liabilities.

RA also notes that the company’s activities were profitable during the period under review. Compared to the same period in 2024, operating profit increased by 38.51% to UAH 49.05 million, and net profit increased by 27.13% to UAH 47.63 million.

BBS Insurance has been operating in the Ukrainian insurance market for over 30 years and is represented in all regions of the country. It has a license to conduct insurance activities in 18 classes.

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Insurance company Quorum increased its premium income by 36% in first nine months of 2025

Insurance company Quorum (Kyiv) collected net insurance premiums in the amount of UAH 47.195 million in January-September 2025, which is 36.4% more than in the same period of 2024, and gross premiums in the amount of UAH 50.216 million (+1.17%) .

This was reported by the rating agency (RA) Standard-Rating in its information on the update of the company’s credit rating/financial stability rating on the national scale at the level of “uaAA”.

The agency specified that it had updated the rating based on an analysis of the company’s performance for the reporting period.

Revenues from individuals in the insurance company increased by 10.82% to UAH 27.072 million, while there were no revenues from reinsurers. The share of individuals in gross premiums for the first nine months of 2025 was 53.91%.

Insurance premiums sent to reinsurers in January-September 2025 amounted to UAH 3.021 million, which is 79.91% less than in the same period of 2024. Thus, the reinsurers’ share in insurance premiums decreased by 24.27 percentage points to 6.02%.

The volume of insurance payments and reimbursements made by the company in the first nine months of 2025 increased by 44.26% compared to the same period in 2024, to UAH 7.894 million. Thus, the level of payments increased by 4.70 p.p. to 15.72%.

The activities of TOV “SK ”Quorum” in the period under review were profitable, and operating and net profits showed growth – by 5.89% to UAH 8.8 million and by 9.64% to UAH 8.3 million, respectively.

As of September 30, 2025, the company’s assets grew by 13.93% to UAH 79.632 million, equity increased by 13.54% to UAH 69.736 million, liabilities grew by 16.77% to UAH 9.896 million, and cash and cash equivalents increased by 12.52% to UAH 56.095 million.

Thus, as of the beginning of the fourth quarter of 2025, the company had very high levels of capitalization (704.69%) and the ratio between cash and liabilities (566.85%), the RA notes.

Insurance company Quorum was established in March 2014 and specializes in risk insurance.

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Copper prices hit new historical record

Copper prices have again updated the historical maximum on the London Metal Exchange (LME) amid fears of shortages of the metal.

Quotes of futures for copper on the LME on Friday growing by 1.8% to $ 11.65 thousand per ton. Earlier during trading prices rose to $ 11.662 thousand per ton, which is a new record.

Stocks of metal in warehouses monitored by the LME fell to their lowest since July due to strong demand for copper in the U.S. on fears of imposition of duties on imports of non-ferrous metals in 2026. Rising U.S. demand could lead to copper averaging $13,000 a ton in the second quarter of next year, Citi analysts believe.

“We are confident in copper’s upside potential through 2026 due to a range of bullish factors, including increasingly positive fundamentals and macroeconomic indicators,” Citi said in a statement.

Since the beginning of the year, copper in London has risen by more than 30%.

Earlier, information and analytical center Experts Club released a video dedicated to global copper production and leading producing countries – https://youtube.com/shorts/_h8iU50z8C0?si=a-XkgGEfeUxseQNa.

 

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FAO has distributed 615 grain storage facilities to farmers in frontline areas for crop storage

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has completed the distribution of 615 modular grain storage facilities to small and medium-sized farms in seven frontline areas, the FAO press service reported on Facebook.

The FAO specified that this initiative was implemented with the support of the governments of Canada and Japan in close cooperation with the Ministry of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture. The FAO is convinced that the program contributes to stabilizing the work of farms, preventing post-harvest losses, and ensuring the continuity of agricultural production.

Farmers could apply to participate in the program through the State Agrarian Register (DAR). In 2025, the FAO received 747 applications from producers who cultivate between 200 and 1,000 hectares. After verification, 615 farms were selected to receive modular grain storage facilities. The distribution took place in seven regions: Chernihiv (62), Dnipropetrovsk (116), Kharkiv (124), Kherson (14), Kirovohrad (84), Mykolaiv (128), and Odesa (87).

This initiative is part of a broader Grain Storage Support Strategy that FAO and partners have been implementing since 2022 in response to a critical shortage of storage capacity. During this time, Ukrainian agricultural producers have received a wide range of storage solutions – more than 37,000 grain sleeves, 105 sets of loading and unloading equipment, and a total of 859 modular grain storage facilities. Collectively, this support has enabled farmers across Ukraine to preserve more than 8 million tons of grain and sustain agricultural production in wartime conditions.

Despite significant progress, the lack of storage infrastructure remains a key constraint to the recovery of the agricultural sector, especially in frontline and recently liberated areas, the FAO stressed. As preparations for the 2026 season get underway, the sustainable development of modern and secure grain storage facilities will remain critical to protecting livelihoods and preserving national food production.

“For farmers, the ability to safely store their harvest is not just about grain. It’s about peace of mind, about the confidence that months of hard work will not be lost. These storage facilities give Ukrainian farmers what is especially needed today in times of war: stability and the ability to look to the future with hope. We will continue to support them on this path,” assured Shakhnoza Muminova, Head of the FAO Office in Ukraine.

FAO, together with its partners, plans to provide support to approximately 100 more farmers in early 2026, but the scale of needs far exceeds available resources. Strengthened cooperation and continued active involvement of the international community will be key to enabling farmers to withstand ongoing challenges and contribute to Ukraine’s long-term recovery, the organization believes.

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