JV Nibulon LLC (Nikolaev), one of the largest operators on the grain market of Ukraine, attracted EUR27 million from the Export Investment Fund of Denmark (EIFO) to increase the capacity of the Bessarabian branch in Izmail, where an elevator and a flour mill will be built, the company’s press service said on Facebook.
“We are extremely impressed by the speed of decision-making and support from Denmark in these difficult times for the Ukrainian economy. We really need more and more such positive signals so that others can emulate them,” Nibulon CFO Olga Babanina said.
According to the grain trader, the raised funds will be used to build an elevator for simultaneous storage of 118.5 thousand tons of grain and high-tech modern mill with a capacity of 750 tons per day.
This infrastructural solution will allow Nibulon to increase its export capacity up to 300,000 tons per month and supply flour to the domestic market as well as serve the interests of the food security mission of UN World Food Program via the Danube ports, the company explained.
Besides, the company added that construction of the new production facilities will allow to increase the number of jobs in the region and employ 100 specialists.
As it was informed, the financing is carried out within the framework of social program of Danish Investment Fund, created for Ukraine. The launch of the program was announced in May during the Ukrainian Investment Forum in Copenhagen.
JV Nibulon LLC was founded in 1991. Before the Russian military invasion the grain trader had 27 transshipment terminals and complexes for reception of agricultural crops, capacities for simultaneous storage of 2.25 mln tons of agro-industrial complex products, fleet of 83 vessels (including 23 tugboats) and owned Nikolaev Shipbuilding Plant.
“Nibulon” before the war worked 82 thousand hectares of land in 12 regions of Ukraine and exported agricultural products to more than 70 countries.
The grain trader exported a maximum of 5.64 million tons of agricultural products in 2021, reaching record volumes of deliveries to foreign markets in August – 0.7 million tons, in the fourth quarter – 1.88 million tons and in the second half of the year – 3.71 million tons.
Nibulon’s losses from Russia’s full-scale invasion reached $400 million. The grain trader is currently operating at 30% of its capacity and has set up a special unit to clear farmland.
Ukraine exported in 2022/2023 marketing year (from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023) 48.996 million tons of grain and leguminous products, which is 641 thousand tons more than in 2021/2022 MY, said the press service of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food.
During the previous marketing year, Ukraine exported 48.355 million tons of grain and leguminous products, in particular: 18.72 million tons of wheat, 5.747 million tons of barley, 161.5 thousand tons of rye and 23.409 million tons of corn.
It is noted that in 2022/2023, as of June 30, Ukraine reduced exports of wheat by 10.6% – to 16.836 million tons, barley by 52.9% – to 2.704 million tons, rye by 88.9% – to 18 thousand tons, but increased supplies of corn to foreign markets by 24.4%, which reached 29.128 million tons.
According to the report, Ukraine increased exports of all major export items of agricultural products in June 2023, in particular, 2.9 times the supplies to foreign markets of cereals and leguminous plants increased and reached 3.658 million tons. Export of wheat increased by 10.9 times – to 1.338 million tons of wheat (last June – 122 thousand tons), barley – 1.8 times – to 57 thousand tons, corn – twice – to 2.257 million tons.
Ukraine did not export rye in June 2023 and in June last year.
Since the beginning of 2022/2023 MY, Ukraine exported 153.6 thousand tons of flour, which is 2.2 times more than a year earlier, when exports were 70.7 thousand tons.
According to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, Ukraine exported more than 22.5 million tons of grain in January-May 2023, including more than 14.3 million tons of corn, more than 7.2 million tons of wheat and more than 977 thousand tons of barley.
July 4 in Ukraine: no precipitation at night, intermittent rains with thunderstorms during the day in eastern, western and central regions; no precipitation in the rest of the country.
Winds of alternating directions, 3-8 m/s.
The temperature at night is 15-20°, daytime temperatures are 25-30°, in the south of the country – 19-24°, daytime temperatures are 28-33°.
July 4, Kiev, July 4, with no precipitation. The wind direction is variable, 3-8 m/s.
The temperature at night is 18-20°, daytime temperatures are 28-30°.
Amount of state budget financing in 2023
Source: Ministry of Finance of Ukraine
The Ukrainian sportsmen have won 41 awards at the European games-2023 in Krakow: 21 gold, 12 silver and 8 bronze medals, thus having occupied the third place in the medal offset, is informed on the official site of the European games.
The president’s office congratulated the Ukrainian team on its successful performance.
“We are strong both on the battlefield and in the sports arenas. Thank you to our athletes, in whose honor the National Anthem of Ukraine was played 21 times at this multi-sport forum,” Telegram said Sunday night.
“Together we are discovering for the world a new victorious Ukrainian strength. A force that we will never lose and that will always defend, create and win!”, summed up the message.
The Ukrainian League of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs supports sending the draft law No. 8087 “On Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine on Urgent Measures to Strengthen the Capabilities of Cyber Defense of State Information Resources and Critical Information Infrastructure”, which expands the powers of the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection and obliges private companies to have a cybersecurity officer, for a second reading.
This was stated by Anatoliy Kinakh, President of the Ukrainian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, at a public discussion of the draft law held at the USPP.
“I would very much ask that following the results of our discussion, the proposal that has absolute support in the context of returning the draft law No. 8087 for a repeated second reading for significant revision be taken into account,” Kinakh said.
He emphasized that the shortcomings in the text of the draft law do not meet European standards, especially with regard to state control in this area, the inadmissibility of monopolization of such control functions, which entails, among other things, corruption risks.
“I am confident that today we have a list of suggestions and comments compiled at a serious professional and state level. I hope that today’s hearings will also be taken into account during the regulatory procedures in the Verkhovna Rada during further consideration of the draft law,” added Kinakh.
During the discussion, experts and management of the ULIE, in particular, Vice President Ivan Petukhov, expert Igor Dyadyura and member of the Kyiv Regional Bar Council Oleg Chornobay criticized the overly broad scope of the law, unlike European counterparts that affect only medium-sized businesses.
Draft law No. 8087 also applies to any actions related to the storage of personal data or other information with limited access in digital form, and thus, according to Chornobay, even an individual lawyer who maintains a client database and stores information subject to attorney-client privilege must hire a cybersecurity specialist (officer).
“There is a beautiful title to the draft law, but when we look at the specifics, we see that it introduces changes that affect not only state information resources and not only critical infrastructure facilities, but also the private sector. Thus, the purpose of the draft law is one, but its implementation is completely different,” added Chornobay.
Petukhov noted that even a small business that maintains a database of employees or customers may also be subject to the law and incur additional costs.
According to him, the rights of businesses to appeal against unlawful orders of government agencies are also being violated. If now they do not have to comply with it, if there is an administrative appeal of the decision, then according to the draft law No. 8087, this order must be fulfilled, and then, after the fact, it can be appealed.
Vitaliy Deynega, Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine for Digital Development, Digital Transformation and Digitalization, also criticized the bill.
“This law may prevent us from digitizing the army and deploying digital infrastructure in the context of hostilities,” he emphasized.
Deynega noted that the Ministry should retain its independence in determining the conditions and criteria for the supply of goods, works and services for the functioning of the armed forces’ information and communication systems.
As the agency reported, draft law No. 8087 was developed by a group of MPs led by Oleksandr Fediyenko.
On January 12, it was adopted in the first reading, and the relevant committee on national security, defense and intelligence recommends its approval in the second reading.
