The Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food and grain traders have signed a memorandum to fix forecasted volume of wheat exports in the 2018/2019 marketing year (MY, July-June) at 16 million tonnes against 16.5 million tonnes in the previous MY.
The memorandum was signed on Friday, August 10, an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent said.
According to the appendix to the memorandum, exports of food wheat, which can be exported this MY, is determined at 8 million tonnes, while coarse wheat exports were fixed at 8 million tonnes.
Such document has traditionally been signed since 2011 between the Ministry and the market operators at the beginning of the season.
First Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Maksym Martyniuk said during the signing ceremony that the figures could be adjusted taking into account the quality and volume of wheat.
As reported, the ministry raised its forecast for wheat harvest by one million tonnes, to 24 million tonnes, including 13 million tonnes of food wheat. According to the ministry’s preliminary estimates, the ratio of food/coarse wheat in 2018 will be 55/45. The domestic market demand for food wheat is estimated at 4.5 -5 million tonnes.
Ukraine in 2017/2018 MY exported 39.4 million tonnes of grain, including 17.14 million tonnes of wheat.
Ukraine in January-June 2018 reduced electricity exports by 0.9%, or 28.602 million kWh, compared to the same period in 2017, to 3.135 billion kWh, Ukraine’s Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry told Interfax-Ukraine. However, electricity supplies from the so-called energy island of the Burshtyn thermal power station, towards Hungary, Slovakia and Romania grew by 8.4%, or 154.737 million kWh, to 2.008 billion kWh.
Electricity sales to Poland increased by 17.5%, or 107.779 million kWh, to 723.331 million kWh. Electricity exports to Moldova were 403.986 million kWh, which was 41.9%, or 291.111 million kWh, down on January-June 2017.
In June 2018 alone, exports of Ukrainian electricity stood at 481.772 million kWh, which was 11.6% down on June 2017 (545.058 million kWh). Ukraine did not sell electricity to Belarus and Russia in January-June of 2017 and 2018. In the first six months of this year, Ukraine imported 18.129 million kWh of electricity, namely 17.417 million kWh from Russia and 0.712 million kWh from Belarus. The imports are recorded in SE Energomarket’s contracts as in-process transfers.
Ukrainian enterprises in January-June 2018 increased copper and copper products imports in money terms by 6.5% year-over-year, to $42.566 million. According to the customs statistics released by the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine, exports of copper and copper products in the first six months of the year increased by 43.8%, to $87.590 million.
In June alone, copper and copper products were imported to the amount of $7.189 million, exports were estimated at $12.736 million.
In addition, Ukraine in January-June increased imports of nickel and its products by 18.9%, to $47.603 million ($8.715 million in June alone), reduced imports of aluminum and products from it by 2.2%, to $ 175.507 million ($31,950 million), and boosted imports of lead and its products by 90.3%, to $5.663 million ($1.390 million). Imports of tin and products from it grew by 10.3%, to $ 2.346 million ($211,000) and those of zinc and zinc products by 30%, to $44.566 million ($6.480 million).
Exports of aluminum and its products in January-June 2018 increased by 22.8%, to $ 71.462 million ($12.319 million in June), those of lead and products from it decreased by 18.6% to $19.414 million ($3.320 million). Exports of nickel and products grew by 24.3%, to $4.179 million ($1.026 million in June).
Exports of zinc in January-June 2018 amounted to $118,000 ($17,000 in June), while in January-June-2017 they were estimated at $44,000. Shipments of tin and goods made of it abroad in January-June 2018 amounted to $269,000 (tin was not exported in June), whereas in January-June-2017 tin exports stood at $148,000.
Ukrainian enterprises in January-May 2018 increased production of ice cream by 1.7% compared to the same period in 2017, to 42,800 tonnes.
“In January-May the volume of ice cream production in Ukraine amounted to 42,800 tonnes, growth stood at 1.7%. For the five months, 2,900 tonnes were exported, a growth of 23.1%. Ice cream exports to the EU amounted to 232 tonnes, or 8% of the total export. I expect that by the end of this year production and exports will show growth,” Ihor Bartkovsky, the president of the Association of Ukrainian Producers “Ice Cream and Frozen Food,” at a press conference in Kyiv.
According to him, ice cream is exported from Ukraine to more than 50 countries.
“In 2017 Ukraine produced 96,600 tonnes of ice cream, which is 2.4% more than in 2016. Exports totaled more than 5,000 tonnes, an increase of 13.5%, in particular, 336 tonnes were exported to EU countries, or 7% of total exports,” Bartkovsky said.
He noted that over the past three years, ice cream consumption in Ukraine has increased.
At the same time, ice cream consumption per capita in Ukraine remains low.
Exports of grain from Ukraine since the beginning of the 2017/2018 agricultural year (July-June) and as of June 20 amounted to 38.63 million tonnes, which is 4.2 million tonnes less than on the same date a year earlier, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food has said.
According to the report, in particular, wheat exports amounted to 16.84 million tonnes (432,000 tonnes less from the previous agri-year), exports of maize to 17.37 million tonnes (2.59 million tonnes less), barley to 4.21 million tonnes (1.08 million tonnes less).
Rye exports totaled 36,800 tonnes (30,200 tonnes more) and exports of flour amounted to 412,200 tonnes (45,200 tonnes more).
As reported with reference to the ministry, Ukraine in the 2016/2017 agri-year exported 44.441 million tonnes of grain.
Ukraine in January-May 2018 increased electricity exports by 1.3% (34.684 million kWh) compared to the same period in 2017, to 2.653 billion kWh, the Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry has told Interfax-Ukraine. Power supply from the Burshtyn TPP energy island towards Hungary, Slovakia and Romania increased by 10.4% (by 159.488 million kWh), to 1.686 billion kWh.
Electricity deliveries to Poland increased by 24.3% (by 128.407 million kWh), to 656.551 million kWh. Electricity supplies to Moldova amounted to 310.767 million kWh, which is 44.9% (253.211 million kWh) less than in January-May 2017. Ukrainian electricity was not exported to Belarus and Russia in January-May 2017 and January-May 2018
At the same time, in May 2018 exports of Ukrainian electricity amounted to 464.558 million kWh, which is 23.5% (143.076 million kWh) less than in May 2017. In addition, Ukraine for the first five months of this year imported 14.818 million kWh of electricity (14.221 million kWh from Russia, 596,000 kWh from Belarus).
