Ukraine increased exports of semi-finished carbon steel in physical terms by 14.9%, to 3.509 million tonnes in January-June 2018 year-on-year.
Ukraine’s State Fiscal Service said in a customs statistics report that exports of semi-finished carbon steel in monetary terms grew by 45.1%, to $1.573 billion.
The bulk of semi-finished carbon steel was exported to Italy (34.84% of total exports in monetary terms), Turkey (18.27%), and Egypt (14.08%).
During the first six months of the year Ukraine imported 22,588 tonnes of semi-finished carbon steel, which is 73% up year-on-year. Imports in monetary terms grew by 76.2%, to $13.648 million.
Semi-finished carbon steel imports originated from Russia (96.07%), Kazakhstan (2.78%) and the United States (0.96%).
In 2017 Ukraine cut semi-finished carbon steel exports in physical terms by 18.8% from 2016, to 6.292 million tonnes, while exports in monetary terms increased by 14.9%, to $2.542 billion.
Italy accounted for 30.61% of exports in monetary terms, while the share of Turkey was 17.02% and that of Egypt – 16.28%.
Semi-finished carbon steel imports in 2017 totaled 22,038 tonnes, which was 20.1% up from 2016. Imports in monetary terms grew by 85.4%, to $12.091 million.
Most of semi-finished carbon steel was imported from Russia (95.48% of total imports), Kazakhstan (4.03%), and Bulgaria (0.25%).
Georgia exported 38.2 million bottles of wine from grapes (0.75-liter bottles) in January-June 2018, 21% more than in 2017, the Agriculture Ministry’s National Wine Agency reported. Russia was the leading importer of Georgian wine in the period, boosting imports 24.4% to 24.022 million bottles or 62.9% of the total. Other major importers included Ukraine – 4.191 million bottles (11% of the total), China – 2.976 million (7.8%), Kazakhstan – 1.652 million (4.3%) and Poland 1.164 million (4.1%).
A total of 190 Georgian companies exported wine in the six months, 18 more than a year earlier. Exports to countries in Europe and Asia, and to the U.S. and other countries, increased substantially. Georgia also exported 8.4 million bottles of brandy (0.5-liter bottles), 23% more than in H1 2017, to 20 countries. Revenue rose 6% to $17 million. Overall exports of wine, brandy and other products – chacha, other alcoholic beverages, wine materials and brandy spirits – were worth $148.3 million, 21.5% more. Georgia exported wine to 48 countries in H1 2018, up from 44 in the same period last year. Revenue from the exports rose 28% to $90 million.
Almost all groups of Ukrainian-made commodities demonstrated the growth of exports in the first quarter of 2018 year-over-year, however, exports of timber and paper grew most (by 39%, or $140 million), the Economic Development and Trade Ministry said on its website. “The EU remains the largest trading partner of Ukraine. Exports of goods to the EU during the first quarter of 2018 amounted to $5.07 billion, its share was 44.4% in the total exports of goods from the country,” the ministry said.
Exports of chemicals and related products for the period increased by 29%, or $134 million, those of light industry products grew by 23% ($58 million), metal by 23% ($558 million).
Farm produce and processed food accounted for the largest share of Ukrainian exports (38%), while the share of metallurgy was 26%, that of machine building was 11%, and mineral products 9%, the ministry said.
As reported, in January-March 2018, exports of goods from Ukraine increased by 10.3% year-over-year, to $11.435 billion, while imports grew by 13.2%, to $ 12.636 billion.
The State Export Control Service of Ukraine has designed a draft anti-corruption program for 2018-2019. According to the document posted on the website of the authority, the program is intended to create the effective corruption prevention and reveal system in the authority based on new principles of making and implementing the anti-corruption policy.
Among measures to be taken is the analysis of data in relation to corruption risks in the authority, as well as factor that give rise to it; regular monitoring of the implementation of tasks and functions by the authority with the purpose of revealing and removing conditions giving rise to corruption risks and corruption crimes.
The measures also include the provision of financial supervision through declaration of property, income, expenses of officials and employees of the authority, creation of proper conditions for receiving information from whistleblowers who exposes corruption and crimes linked to corruption and the creation of the system of their protection and keeping information in secret.
According to the analysis of corruption risks posted on the website of the authority, corruption risks with medium and high priority are the following: providing advice on processing and submission of necessary documents in the field of export control to the authority; acceleration or delay in the processing of applications of subjects of international transfers of goods to obtain permits for the right to export and import military goods; a lack of a clear procedure for investigating offenses in the sphere of state export control and a lack of authority of the relevant department to identify these offenses independently; leakage of information from electronic databases operating by the authority and other risks.
