Ukrainian flour millers are increasingly reporting low quality of the new harvest wheat, in some regions the total share of grade 2 and 3 wheat will not exceed 10% of total production, APK-Inform news agency reported.
According to the report, the majority of processors in communication with the agency’s experts noted that they mainly receive offers of wheat with low protein content – up to 11%, a small share – at the level of 11-12% and only a few offers with protein content at the level of 13%.
“Some processors predict that in some regions of the country the total share of wheat of 2nd and 3rd class this year will not exceed 10% of the total production,” the analysts said.
According to them, the current situation with the quality of wheat provides significant support to prices. This week, most Ukrainian millers continued to gradually increase their purchase prices for milling wheat.
As of August 23, the demand prices for wheat of the 2nd and 3rd grades were mostly fixed in the range of 5700-6700 UAH/ton and 5500-6500 UAH/ton CPT, respectively, which is 100-200 UAH/ton higher than at the end of last week, but most buyers raised the minimum and close to them prices, experts explained.
Agrarians continue to restrain the sales of high-quality grains, which provides additional support to prices, APK-Inform summarized.
As reported, Ukraine has already harvested 27 mln tonnes of wheat with record yields, but analysts point out that due to weather conditions, 60% of the crop will be sold as fodder, which is twice as much as last year.
Japan will provide up to $7 billion in aid to Ukraine, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said, speaking online at the 3rd Summit of the International Crimean Platform in Kyiv.
“Japan will continuously provide (Ukraine – IF-U) with a variety of assistance in the amount of up to $7 billion, depending on the needs,” he said.
In addition, Japan will use its experience and expertise in post-war reconstruction and disaster recovery to provide assistance, he said.
Kishida reiterated that Japan has consistently supported the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, including Crimea, and will continue to work closely with the international community, particularly the G-7 countries, and join sanctions against Russia to provide continued support to Ukraine.
“I visited Kyiv and Bucha in March of this year and witnessed the tragedy with my own eyes. This confirmed my belief that Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is an extraordinary act that violates the foundations of the international order,” he said.
As Kishida emphasized, “Japan is on the side of the people of Ukraine to ensure peace and bring it back to the beautiful Ukrainian land.”
Ukraine in the season-2023 can export more than a third of the produced sugar, as about 1 million tons is enough to meet the needs of the domestic market, while the production forecast is 1.6-1.7 million tons, CEO of Astarta agroholding Viktor Ivanchik said.
“The opening of the sugar market by the European Union (in 2022 – IF-U) has significantly helped Ukraine. We can export a third, if not more, of this year’s crop. We have enough in Ukraine about 1 million tons. This year’s production forecast is 1.6-1.7 million tons. This potential should be unambiguously used. We need to gain a foothold in the markets. Both for the near and distant future – this is a serious factor of Ukraine’s entry into the European Union with its goods, services and labor force,” he said during the Business Breakfast with Forbes Ukraina on Wednesday.
Commenting on the investigation by the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU) regarding possible cartel collusion between sugar producers, Ivanchyk noted that the AMCU “constantly observes, conducts this or that research.”
“Today we do not see such a problem. It was not there before. We have convincingly proved to AMCU, with whom we have been in communication for the last five years, that there are no violations of antimonopoly legislation. It makes no sense for us to agree on prices and volumes. We compete hard on the Ukrainian market, as it is surplus,” Ivanchyk explained and added that sugar producers are in contact with each other on the basis of the industry association “Ukrtsukor”, but do not discuss the issues of prices or sales volumes.
The CEO of Astarta also noted that with the opening of the market to the European Union, sugar producers and exporters fall under the European regulatory policy. This forces the management of the country’s largest sugar producer to “look even more meticulously at our and all our employees’ compliance with these requirements.”
“I don’t see any risks of coming under investigation,” he stated.
Asked about pressure, particularly from law enforcement agencies on business, Ivanchik declined to voice specific cases, but confirmed that Astarta also has to face such problems.
“To be in society and be free from problems in the business community is unrealistic. “Astarta tries to build relationships on a legislative basis. We are as law-abiding as possible. There is absolutely no reason to suspect us of anything,” he assured and confirmed that his colleagues have to face more complicated problems.
According to the head of the agricultural holding, there is an initiative to create a public association on the basis of the Federation of Employers of Ukraine (FEU), which is called “Manifesto-42” (from Art. 42 of the Constitution of Ukraine on the right of every citizen of Ukraine to conduct entrepreneurial activity – IF-U) to protect Ukrainian business from unjustified encroachments by law enforcement and controlling bodies.
Ivanchyk reminded that business has the right to publicly and legally defend its interests. “Especially since Ukrainian business has now shown very good examples of patriotic attitude, help, selflessness. This should be respected by the state in a partner-like manner,” he emphasized.
The CEO of Astarta noted that business received understanding from the state leadership, in particular, a month ago at a meeting with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, Prime Minister Denis Shmygal, teams of the Office of the President and the Cabinet of Ministers.
“We (representatives of business – IF-U) were assured that the state controlling bodies will pursue a legitimate policy on this matter, communicating with us through the business ombudsman and through our joint structures, such as the Federation of Employers of Ukraine, Ukrainian Club of Agrarian Business, European Business Association, CEO Club Ukraine. We will be able to build such relations absolutely openly, honestly and transparently”, – the head of Astarta is convinced.
“Astarta is a vertically integrated agro-industrial holding operating in eight regions of Ukraine. It includes six sugar factories, agricultural farms with a land bank of 220 thousand hectares and dairy farms with 22 thousand cattle, oil extraction plant in Globino (Poltava region), seven elevators and biogas complex.
In the first half of 2023, Astarta’s revenue from sales of key products increased by 64.8% year-on-year to UAH 10.72 bln. The main contribution was made by sales of sugar – UAH 3.27 bln, which increased by 75.5%, corn – UAH 2.66 bln (+53.2%) and soybean meal – UAH 1.96 bln (+84.5%).
Astarta Agro-Industrial Holding, the country’s largest sugar producer, will expand its support for the development of agricultural microbusinesses by raising EUR1.5 million from a partner bank in Germany in 2023, said Viktor Ivanchyk, CEO of the agricultural holding.
“We only help small businesses. We don’t give money, we give equipment. The equipment that is necessary for their specific business. This is a good synergy between large companies like ours and small businesses that exist in the regions of our presence,” he said on Wednesday at the Business Breakfast with Forbes Ukraine.
Ivanczyk said that since the beginning of the war, he has personally supported a number of social projects implemented by the agricultural holding, including those aimed at supporting micro and small agricultural businesses.
“I was amazed when 220 applications were submitted for the 60 projects we announced a year ago. We processed them all, looked at them, and decided that 60 projects was not enough. Therefore, we asked the bank to extend the project,” said the CEO of the agricultural holding.
According to him, in 2022, partner banking institutions in Germany provided EUR 1.2 million for the implementation of this social project, and in 2023 they will provide Astarta with another EUR 1.5 million. “We are increasing the amount of assistance and the number of projects,” the CEO of the agricultural holding emphasized and added that there are currently about 100 of them.
Ivanchyk noted that the assistance is provided to agricultural microbusinesses mainly in the regions where the agricultural holding operates. The agricultural holding has one requirement for the project participants – to work on the basis of an honest, responsible attitude towards partners and the community based on the goals and principles of sustainable development.
“I see this as a great opportunity to build an ecosystem. This system is built not only on mutual economic benefits. It is built on a common philosophy. This makes us believe that the project will last as long as possible,” Ivanchyk summarized.
“Astarta is a vertically integrated agro-industrial holding company operating in eight regions of Ukraine. It comprises six sugar factories, agricultural enterprises with a land bank of 220 thousand hectares and dairy farms with 22 thousand cattle, an oil extraction plant in Globyno (Poltava region), seven elevators and a biogas complex.
In the first half of 2023, Astarta’s revenue from sales of key products increased by 64.8% to UAH 10.72 billion year-on-year. The main contribution was made by sales of sugar – UAH 3.27 billion, up 75.5%, corn – UAH 2.66 billion (+53.2%) and soybean meal – UAH 1.96 billion (+84.5%).
The Israeli Health Ministry has sent medicines totaling UAH 100 million to Ukraine as humanitarian aid at the request of the AFU, the Ukrainian Health Ministry said.
“We continue to help Ukraine in this difficult time, so at the request of the Ukrainian side, funds were collected and the transfer of humanitarian aid was organized. We plan further cooperation between our countries,” the agency’s website quoted Israeli Ambassador to Ukraine Michael Brodsky as saying.
French architect and president of the Architecture et Maîtres d’Ouvrage (AMO) association Martin Duplantier, who created D Architecture Ukraine LLC for projects of restoration and development of Ukrainian cities in the face of full-scale Russian aggression, will develop a concept for a public garden in the center of Mykolaiv.
“Mykolaiv City Council signed a memorandum of cooperation with French architect Martin Duplantier. The goal of this cooperation is to create an aesthetically pleasing and high-quality urban environment in Mykolaiv in accordance with European urban principles,” Yevhen Polyakov, director of the Department of Architecture and Urban Planning at Mykolaiv City Council, told Interfax-Ukraine.
The architect chose a park of over 9,000 square meters located in the Central District (along 17, 19 Heroiv Ukrayiny Avenue). This square has the potential to become a kind of attraction point for residents of neighboring buildings and passersby as a place for quiet and active recreation.
Work is currently underway to develop conceptual design solutions, which will last from early September to late November. Design work is being carried out without the involvement of budgetary funds.
Martin Maurice Henri Duplantier is an architect and urbanist, head of the French bureau Martin Duplantier Architectes, president of the Association of Architecture et Maîtres d’Ouvrage (AMO). In March 2022, he assembled a team in Lviv and began projects to analyze the destruction with a view to rebuilding Ukraine.
In April 2023, he founded D Architecture Ukraine LLC with an authorized capital of UAH 200 thousand. The projects under implementation include the project of the Maria Prymachenko Museum in Ivankiv, the restoration of the Uvariv House, and the creation of a new Ukrainian-French cultural center in Vorzel (presented to the public, seeking funding). Territorial development plans are being drafted (Chernihiv, Izyum, Nizhyn). The agency is also working on dual-purpose bomb shelters for schools across Ukraine.
