The Ukrainian Agrarian Confederation and the working committee of China’s Association of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises signed a memorandum of cooperation for the development of bilateral cooperation in the agricultural sector, the Ukrainian Grain Association (UGA) reported on its website on Tuesday, which also joined the signing of this document.
“Today, in the current grain season, Ukraine has exported to China about 10 million tonnes of grain, potentially could increase the export rate by 2-3 times over time. The bulk of grain exports to China accounts for corn and barley. And it is necessary to sign the appropriate interstate phytosanitary protocols to open the Chinese market for Ukrainian wheat, sorghum, peas and other crops,” the press service said, citing President of the Ukrainian Grain Association Mykola Horbachev.
According to the association, the parties will jointly create a Chinese-Ukrainian Council for International Cooperation in Agriculture, in particular for the development of modern agricultural trade and industrial park projects.
The Foreign Ministry of Ukraine and the State Service on Food Safety and Consumer Protection have agreed with the relevant authority in Argentina on the form of an export veterinary certificate for the supply of milk and dairy products to this country, the service said in a press release.
“We are making every effort to provide Ukrainian companies with new opportunities for doing business and exporting their goods. Thanks to this work, Ukrainian producers have gained additional access to the large Argentinean market, where more than 40 million people live,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said.
According to the service, in order to export to Argentina, Ukrainian dairy producers must be accredited by the National Service of Agri-Food Health and Quality of Argentina (SENASA). The Argentine side allowed, in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, to conduct accreditation of production facilities of Ukrainian enterprises remotely, followed by a physical inspection of production facilities after the normalization of the epidemic situation and the restoration of international air traffic.
The head of the agency, Vladyslava Mahaletska, specified that the opening of the Argentinean market for Ukrainian dairy products is an important step towards strengthening trade ties between the countries. She recalled that the form of veterinary certificates for the export of collagen and gelatin has already been agreed with Argentina, while Argentine poultry, fish and seafood, fresh beef will be imported to Ukraine.
“Opening the market for the export of dairy products will expand our cooperation and create new opportunities for Ukrainian producers,” she said.
Ukraine in January-March this year increased exports of coke and semi-coke in quantity terms by 6.7 times compared to the same period last year, to 48,970 tonnes.
According to statistics released by the State Customs Service, in monetary terms, exports of coke and semi-coke increased by 14.2 times over this period, to $11.880 million.
At the same time, main exports were carried out to Turkey (52.68% of supplies in monetary terms), Bosnia and Herzegovina (12.58%) and Kazakhstan (12.28%).
Ukraine in January-March 2021 imported 84,895 tonnes of coke and semi-coke, which is 2.4 times more compared to January-March 2020. In monetary terms, imports increased by 2.5 times, to $21.141 million.
The products were mainly imported from the Russian Federation (57.24% of deliveries in monetary terms), Poland (24.37%) and the Czech Republic (14.53%).
Ukrainian furniture manufacturers in January-March of this year increased their furniture exports by 50% compared to the same period in 2019, to $247.4 million, while in the past five years (2015-2020) there was an annual increase of 13.5%, a member of the Ukrainian Association of Furniture Manufacturers (UAFM) Oksana Donska has said. “Due to COVID-19, the global supply chains have changed a lot. Ukrainian furniture is becoming more and more interesting for the international community of professional buyers,” she said at a press conference on the problems of timber market legislation organized by the RivneInvest agency in Kyiv.
According to her, today a transparent timber market is very necessary for Ukrainian furniture manufacturers.
“The furniture and woodworking industries of Ukraine create a product with high added value. Each hryvnia of wood value turns into UAH 30-50 of the cost of furniture supplied both to the domestic market and for export,” she said.
Donska said that today more than 100,000 people work in the furniture industry for more than 9,000 enterprises, and the export of Ukrainian furniture for the past five years has been growing by 13.5% annually. Furniture is exported to 119 countries, including Poland (more than 35% export), Germany (16%), Denmark, Austria, Romania, and France. Poland and Germany use Ukrainian furniture for further sale in the world.
“But compared to the same Poland, which has approximately the same forest resources, we export 20 times less – if Poland in 2020 exported furniture worth $14.8 billion (the third largest exporter in the world), then Ukraine for only $750 million (39th place),” Donska said.
She said that on June 15 through June 17 2021, Ukraine expects about 2,000 guests from 53 countries who will come to visit the Furniture of Ukraine Business Expo (FUBE-2021) organized by the UAFM with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry for Development of Economy, trade and Agriculture.
“However, today the Association receives appeals from our members who complain about serious problems in their work due to the stagnation of the timber market. As a result, furniture makers do not receive furniture components on time, and contracts for the supply of finished furniture with retailers from Ukraine are broken. Ukraine’s reputation is on the line if it fails to implement contracts for the supply of furniture to the countries of Europe, Asia and America. If this situation continues for several more months, then Ukrainian enterprises will have to think not about development, but about survival,” Donska said.
Ukraine since the beginning of the 2020/2021 marketing year (MY, July-June) and as of March 26, 2021 had exported 34.45 million tonnes of grains and legumes, which is 22.6% less than on the same date of the previous MY.
According to the information and analytical portal of the agro-industrial complex of Ukraine, to date, 14.16 million tonnes of wheat, 15.64 million tonnes of corn, 4.06 million tonnes of barley have been exported.
As of the indicated date, 96,200 tonnes of flour were also exported.
As reported, the Ministry for Development of Economy, Trade and Agriculture of Ukraine in February predicted a decline in exports of grains and legumes in the 2020/2021 MY by 20.5% compared to the previous MY, to 45.4 million tonnes.
According to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food, Ukraine exported 56.72 million tonnes of grain and leguminous crops in the 2019/2020 MY.