In order to further promote fruit and vegetable products in Uzbekistan, a commission for the export of fruits, vegetables and food products will be established, headed by the Prime Minister.
For this purpose, Uzbek trading houses in Germany, Hungary, Poland, Spain, the United States, and Kazakhstan will be transferred to the management of entrepreneurs.
It has been announced that new trading houses will be opened in major port cities such as Nagoya (Japan), Mersin (Turkey), Rotterdam (Netherlands), Qingdao (China), Klaipeda (Lithuania) and Doha (Qatar).
Thanks to an investment of $8 million, modern laboratories with international accreditation will be launched this year in Zangiat, Fergana, and Samarkand.
A reference laboratory will also be set up in Tashkent to ensure that private laboratories meet international standards. For these purposes, $12 million will be allocated from the World Bank. In the future, internationally recognized reagents will be exempt from customs duties and will not require a mandatory environmental certificate.
For export companies with a shortage of working capital, the Business Development Bank will provide UAH 1.5 trillion in soft loans of up to 50% of the contract amount with the farmer and the procurement warehouse. Loans will be issued at 18% per annum with a grace period of six months for a period of up to 1.5 years.
Suppliers of various fruits and vegetables will be exempt from all taxes regardless of turnover, and will now be able to work as self-employed individuals.
Thanks to the measures taken, fruit products worth USD 1 billion are expected to be exported this year. As part of regional programs, 528 projects worth $833 million will be launched.
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Since August 2023, the maritime corridor across the Danube created by the Ukrainian Navy has exported almost 33.8 million tons of cargo, which exceeds the performance indicators of the “grain initiative,” said Oleksandr Kubrakov, Deputy Prime Minister for Reconstruction of Ukraine, Minister of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development (Ministry of Reconstruction).
“Over 7 months, 33.8 million tons of goods were exported through the Ukrainian corridor. This exceeds the volume of exports for the whole year of the Grain Initiative,” he wrote on the social network X.
It is specified that 1.14 thousand vessels were sent from the ports of Greater Odesa to 40 countries.
Of the 33.8 million tons of cargo transported through the Ukrainian sea corridor, 23.1 million tons were the products of Ukrainian farmers. At the same time, 33 million tons of agricultural products were exported during the year of the Grain Initiative, Kubrakov noted.
According to the Ministry of Reconstruction, in January 2024, the volume of agricultural exports through the corridor amounted to 3.4 million tons, with a total export volume of 7.8 million tons, including other cargoes, in February – 2.7 million tons with a total of 8 million tons of cargo delivered abroad, in March – 2.1 million tons with 6.3 million tons, respectively.
According to Kubrakov, 150 vessels are currently waiting to approach the ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi, which are expected to export almost 5 million tons of cargo.
“We can say that we have reached almost pre-war export volumes from the ports of Greater Odesa, and we have introduced a much more efficient logistics route without the participation of the aggressor state, while continuing to be a guarantor of the world’s food security. This is another joint victory of the state, the Joint Defense Forces and the entire maritime infrastructure industry,” he wrote on Facebook.
Earlier it was reported that in February, exports from Ukraine via the sea corridor reached a record 8 million tons. In mid-March, Deputy Minister of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development Yuriy Vaskov said that more than 1,000 vessels had sailed through the Ukrainian sea corridor since its launch, transporting almost 31 million tons.
After obtaining the necessary permits from the Ukrainian Navy, the corridor began operating around the clock.
In January-February this year, Ukraine increased exports of carbon steel semi-finished products in physical terms by 3.38 times compared to the same period last year, to 364.162 thousand tons.
According to statistics released by the State Customs Service on Wednesday, exports of carbon steel semi-finished products increased 3.1 times in monetary terms to $175.088 million.
The main exports were to Bulgaria (33.46% of supplies in monetary terms), Poland (17.70%) and the Dominican Republic (8.21%).
As reported, in 2023, Ukraine decreased exports of carbon steel semi-finished products in physical terms by 36.7% compared to 2022, to 1 million 203.454 thousand tons, while exports in monetary terms decreased by 48.9% to $608.516 million. The main exports were made to Bulgaria (36.66% of supplies in monetary terms), Poland (23.01%), and Italy (9.60%).
In 2022, Ukraine decreased exports of carbon steel semi-finished products by 72% year-on-year to 1 million 899.729 thousand tons in physical terms and by 70.9% to $1 billion 191.279 million in monetary terms. The main exports were to Bulgaria (26.55% of supplies in monetary terms), Poland (13.97%) and Italy (12.13%).
Ukraine in February 2024 compared to January has increased the volume of electricity exports 12 times, but reduced the volume of imports by a third, DiXi Group reported with reference to the Energy map portal.
As noted in its report on Friday, Ukraine exported a total of 63.1 thousand MWh (5.2 thousand MWh in January – ER), of which the most – 32% (20 thousand MWh) went to Moldova. Another 30% (19.1 thousand MWh) went to Romania, 20% (12.6 thousand MWh) – to Poland, 14% (9 thousand MWh) – to Slovakia, 4% (2.4 thousand MWh) – to Hungary, to which electricity supplies were resumed after a two-year break with the introduction of joint auctions for the allocation of sections.
It is noted that after February 11, exports exceeded imports on almost all days.
However, at the end of the month, imports were 21 MWh more than exports, totaling 84.1 thousand MWh (one-third less than January’s 122.8 thousand MWh).
40% (33.6 thousand MWh) of this volume came from Slovakia, 34% (28.7 thousand MWh) – from Romania, 16% (13.6 thousand MWh) – from Poland, 7% (6.2 thousand MWh) – from Moldova, 3% (2.1 thousand MWh) – from Hungary.
DiXi Group experts point out that in February 2023 there were no exports at all, while imports were 41% higher at 141.8 thousand MWh.
They also note that last month Ukraine received five times (February 2, 4, 27-29) emergency aid from Poland, which bought back surplus Ukrainian electricity – a total of 5.9 thousand MWh.
On February 7, Ukraine accepted excessive 1.2 thousand MWh from Poland as emergency aid.
Ukraine is ready to fix the level of exports of eggs, chicken meat and sugar to Poland at the level of 2022-2023, Prime Minister Denis Shmygal said.
“We have already introduced a verification and control mechanism for four groups of cereals on September 16. We are also ready to go in terms of setting the export level for eggs, chicken meat and sugar at the level of 2022-2023. These are quite large volumes. We are ready to fix them and move within these boundaries,” Shmygal said at the forum “Ukraine. Year 2024” on Sunday.
Prime Minister also said that representatives of the Ukrainian government were at the Ukrainian-Polish border on Friday and talked to Ukrainian carriers who were returning by grain carriers from Europe.
Commenting on the protests of Polish farmers on the Ukrainian-Polish border, the Prime Minister reminded that they were taking place against the background of Russia’s hybrid warfare in Europe. “This should not be forgotten. There is support for radical and pro-Russian political forces throughout the European Union, particularly in Poland. This leads to terrible things that we see when they pour out grain and act illegally,” he emphasized.
Shmygal noted that the Polish government and the police react to these violations adequately, and appropriate cases are initiated. The first violators have already been brought to court, they face up to five years in prison.
According to the prime minister, the Ukrainian government announced five steps to unblock the Ukrainian-Polish border, and also notified the European Commission about Ukraine’s proposed “plan of mutual understanding” with Poland. Now Ukraine will start implementing them jointly with the European Commission.
As reported, Ukraine on February 23 on the Ukrainian-Polish border announced five steps for the de-blockade of the border. In particular, Ukraine agreed to limit the entry of poultry meat, eggs and sugar to Poland and will export them to the EU without quotas and duties in volumes no more than the average in 2022 and 2023. In addition, Ukraine is ready to continue the mechanism of verification of exports of grain, corn, sunflower and rapeseed, which means that these four groups of goods will not enter the Polish market without Polish authorization.
The second step will be Ukraine’s appeal to the European Commission with a proposal to conduct urgent screening of clusters 4 and 5, which include agrarian policy and transportation.
The third step is a proposal to the Polish government to adopt a joint appeal to the European Commission to stop Russian agricultural exports to the EU.
The fourth step was the creation of a “Trilateral Headquarters: Ukraine, Poland, European Commission” co-chaired by the agrarian ministers of Ukraine, Poland and a representative of the European Commission.
The fifth step is to expand free passage across the border not only for ammunition and humanitarian aid, but also for Ukraine’s critically needed fuel.
The EU Council announced on Wednesday that the Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper) of the European Union has agreed on the Council’s negotiating mandate to extend for another year the suspension of import duties and quotas on Ukrainian and Moldovan exports to the EU.
“By agreeing to renew these measures, we demonstrate our continued support for Ukraine and Moldova, while protecting the internal market from excessive increases in imports of certain sensitive agricultural products,” commented Aja Labib, Foreign Minister of Belgium, which holds the EU Council presidency, on the agreement of the Permanent Representatives.
The Council communiqué explains that the two legislative proposals that member states will discuss with the European Parliament are aimed at extending the suspension of import duties and quotas for another year: from June 6, 2024 to June 5, 2025 for Ukraine and from July 25, 2024 to July 24, 2025 for Moldova – provided that “the protection of sensitive agricultural products is simultaneously enhanced by strengthening safeguards” already included in the relevant existing regulations.
Brussels explains that “by renewing these measures, the EU will continue to support and stimulate trade flows from Ukraine to the EU and the rest of the world, and will contribute to creating conditions for the expansion of economic and trade relations leading to the gradual integration of Ukraine into the EU’s internal structure.”
As for Moldova, these measures are intended to “help preserve the conditions necessary to enable Moldova to continue its trade relations with the EU and with the rest of the world through the EU,” the EU Council said.
