Import of fish, fish products and other aquatic biological resources in Ukraine in 2019 amounted to 399,100 tonnes for a total of $753.2 million, which is $117 million, or 18.5% more than in 2018, the State Fishery Agency has reported. In natural terms, according to data released by the Ukrainian Importers of Fish and Seafood Association (UIFSA) this week, import growth was 5%.
The association indicates that in 2018 the volume of imports in monetary terms increased by 20.5%, and in natural terms by 16%.
According to the agency, the main suppliers of aquatic biological resources to Ukraine (in natural terms) are Norway (80,000 tonnes for $205.4 million), Iceland (60,700 tonnes for $93.5 million), Estonia (39,600 tonnes for $16.8 million), the United States (30,700 tonnes for $67.6 million) and Canada (20,600 tonnes for $39.4 million).
Also, large volumes of fish products were delivered from Latvia, Spain, China, and the UK.
The agency said that about 80-90% of the volume of imports accounts for fish species, to which Ukraine does not have access, and are caught exclusively in the marine economic zones of other states.
“Basically, frozen fish or its fillets are imported to our country, which makes up 80% of imports. These products are mainly processed at domestic fish enterprises,” the agency said.
Rauta Group LLC (the Rauta trademark, Kyiv), which designs and assembles pre-fabricated houses, in 2019 doubled sales of Ruukki sandwich panels, while in general the market of imported panels in Ukraine showed a 10% decline.
“The total consumption of imported sandwich panels in Ukraine decreased from 1.01 million square meters in 2018 to 0.91 million square meters in 2019. Industry experts attribute this result to a temporary slowdown in the investment activities of developers due to the general economic situation in country,” Rauta reported.
Thus, the share of Rauta of the market of imported sandwich panels has doubled, to 4.4%.
“Given the current trends in increasing the energy efficiency of commercial buildings, we expect further growth in sales of sandwich panels,” Rauta director Andriy Ozeichuk said.
At the same time, according to him, one of the challenges this year could be the introduction of regulation No. 305, which will significantly affect this market.
“In the long run, the appearance of declarations and self-regulatory organizations will create the prerequisites for the mass application of sandwich panels that comply with State Standards of Ukraine EN 14509 with the highest possible energy efficiency and durability,” the company said.
The introduction of duties on import of diesel fuel and liquefied gas of Russian production will cause price increases, weaken competition in the market and will not solve the problems of Ukrainian oil refineries, according to A-95 Consulting Group.
According to a press release, the group came to such conclusions following a study of complaints by Ukrainian fuel producers represented by PJSC Ukrtatnafta, PJSC Ukrnafta and JSC Ukrgazvydobuvannia to the Interdepartmental Commission on International Trade, in which they asked for an anti-subsidiary investigation and introduce duties on Russian diesel fuel and liquefied natural gas in the amount of 8.46% with an increase to 25.4% over five years.
“The main argument of manufacturers is dumping by Russian exporters, which is not true. Imported petroleum products, including Russian ones, are sold to Ukraine with premiums to the world quotes. So, for 2020 Ukrainian companies signed contracts for Russian diesel fuel with a premium to European quotes of up to $35/tonne, for liquefied gas of up to $22/tonne. This is due to the fact that Ukraine remains import dependent: in 2019, imports of diesel fuel accounted for 88% in the national balance, liquefied gas for 78.5%,” A-95 said.
According to the group, the most critical consequences of duties will be felt by the diesel market, which accounts for 70% in the basket of motor fuels. If the proposed duty is introduced at 8.46%, imports from Russia may cease completely, which will increase pressure on the remaining sources of supply, primarily Belarus, whose share will grow from the current 35% to 60% of the market. At the same time, the capabilities of Ukrainian producers are limited by a twofold increase in processing, which in the best case will allow raising the market weight from 12% to 25%.
Ukraine in January 2020 exported 330 tonnes of cheese, which is 27.4% less than in January 2019. According to the State Customs Service, in monetary terms exports amounted to $1.2 million, which is 19.9% less than in January 2019.
At the same time, cheese imports in January 2020 increased 2.4 times, to 2,770 tonnes. In monetary terms, imports increased 2.2 times compared to January 2019, to $12.35 million.
In January 2020, export of butter from Ukraine decreased by 58.3%, to 743 tonnes, in money terms by 50%, to $3.49 million. According to the State Customs Service, import of this product increased 11.3 times, to 1,020 tonnes ($4.52 million).
In addition, export of milk and cream (condensed) in January 2020 fell by 24.4%, to 1,630 tonnes. In January 2020, Ukraine supplied condensed milk and cream for a total of $3.69 million (the same as in January 2019). Imports of this group of goods grew by 37.1%, to 229 tonnes ($507,000).
Ukraine in 2019 reduced import of coal and anthracite (foreign trade activity code 2701) by 1.4% (by 305,334 tonnes) compared to 2018, to 21.082 million tonnes.
According to the State Fiscal Service, coal was imported for $2.816 billion, which is 7.2% less than in 2018 ($3.035 billion).
At the same time, coal for $1.638 billion (a share in imports is 58.18%) was supplied from Russia, while the United States delivered coal for $888.485 million (31.55%), Kazakhstan for $134.228 million (4.77%), and other countries for $154.912 (5.5%).
In addition, in 2019 Ukraine exported 14,938 tonnes of coal and anthracite for $724,000, including to Moldova for $585,000, Hungary for $103,000, Poland for $32,000, and other countries for $4,000.
Ukraine in January-December 2019 exported 7,190 tonnes of cheese, which is 13.8% less than in 2018.
According to the State Customs Service, in monetary terms exports amounted to $26.88 million, which is 12.7% less than in 2018.
At the same time, cheese imports in 2019 increased by 1.7 times, to 23,720 tonnes. In monetary terms, imports increased by 1.6 times compared to 2018, to $108.87 million.
Last year, export of butter from Ukraine decreased by 1.7 times, to 18,280 tonnes, in money terms also by 1.7 times, to $77.1 million. According to the State Customs Service, import of this product increased by 3.1 times, to 3,410 tonnes, in money terms by 2.2 times, to $16.46 million.
In addition, export of milk and cream (condensed) in 2019 rose by 0.9%, to 35,810 tonnes. In January-December 2019, Ukraine supplied condensed milk and cream for a total of $76.22 million (29.1% more compared to 2018). Imports of this group of goods grew by 8.8%, to 2,560 tonnes, in monetary terms by 1.2%, to $5.78 million.
