Ukraine in January-March this year, Ukraine reduced the import of nickel ores and concentrates in physical terms by 97.4% compared to the same period last year – up to 7,238 thousand tons.
According to statistics released by the State Customs Service (SCS), in monetary terms, imports of nickel ores decreased by 98% to $257,000 during the period.
Imports were from Guatemala (100% of shipments in monetary terms).
In 1Q2023, like in 1Q2022, Ukraine did not export or re-export this commodity.
As Ukrainian News earlier reported, in 2022, Ukraine reduced the imports of nickel ores and concentrates by 71.9% YoY to 346,719 tons. In monetary terms, imports of nickel ores decreased by 73.8% to $15.428 million. Imports were from Guatemala (100% of deliveries in monetary terms).
For 2022, like in 2021, Ukraine did not export or re-export this product.
Ukraine imports nickel ore from Pobuzhsky Ferronickel Plant (PFK, part of Solway Group).
PFC processes about 1.2 million tons of ore per year.
Ukrainian companies in January-March this year increased imports of copper and copper products in value terms by 45.1% compared to the same period last year – up to $ 28.511 million.
According to customs statistics, released by the State Customs Service of Ukraine on Monday, the export of copper and copper products for the period decreased by 31.2% – to $21.822 million.
In March, imported copper at $ 11.045 million, exported – 7.672 million.
In addition, in January-March 2023, Ukraine reduced the imports of nickel and its products by 88.8% compared to the same period in 2022 – to $3.176 million (in March – $2.020 million), aluminum and its products – by 0.7%, to $82.110 million (in March – $28.530 million). It reduced the imports of lead and lead products by 89.4% to $216 thousand (in March – $12 thousand), imports of tin and tin products by 8% to $648 thousand (in March – $104 thousand) and zinc and zinc products by 51% to $7.698 million (in March – $3.581 million).
Exports of aluminum and aluminum products in the first three months of 2023 decreased by 6.6% to $23.103 million (in March – $8.732 million) compared to the same period last year, while lead and lead products decreased by 33.6% to $4.436 million (in March – $1.412 million) and nickel and nickel products – $92 thousand (in March – none) compared to $875 thousand in January-March 2022.
Zinc exports for the three months of this year amounted to $46 thousand (in March – $22 thousand), while in January-March 2022 it was $892 thousand. Tin exports and products totaled $48 thousand (in March – $29 thousand) against $53 thousand in the same period last year.
As reported, the Ukrainian enterprises in 2022, imports of copper and copper products in value terms reduced by 64.3% compared to the previous year – up to $65.370 million, their exports decreased by 56.3% – to $90.245 million.
In addition, Ukraine has reduced imports of nickel and its products in 2022 by 49.9% compared to 2021 – up to $59.754 million, aluminum and its products – by 33.4% to $ 340.398 million, while the imports of lead and its products decreased by 66.6% – to $ 2.839 million.
Imports of tin and tin products fell by 33.5% to $3.312 million, while imports of zinc and zinc products decreased by 58.7% to $38.690 million.
Exports of aluminum and aluminum products for 2022 were down 42.7% from 2021, to $96.972 million, lead and lead products were down 68.7%, to $11.970 million, and nickel and nickel products were down 73.9%, to $1.268 million.
Zinc exports for 2022 were $1.331 million, up from $550,000 in 2021. Tin and products exports for 2022 were $424,000, up from $346,000 the previous year.
Imports of drugs to Ukraine in 2022, after five years of growth, decreased by 38% compared to the previous year – to $ 1.9 billion from $ 3.1 billion.
This is evidenced by the research conducted by the marketing agency Top Lead together with the pharmaceutical company “Darnitsa”.
According to the study, the largest importers of medicines to Ukraine are Germany with the import volume of about $ 368 million, India ($ 173 million), France ($ 31 million), Italy ($ 125 million) and Slovenia ($ 110 million).
At the same time, export of Ukrainian medicines in 2022 decreased by 24% as compared with 2021, and amounted to $ 238 million.
The biggest buyer of Ukrainian medicines is Uzbekistan, where Ukrainian companies exported products worth almost $52m, which is 36% less than a year earlier.
At the same time, other top three buyers of Ukrainian medicines increased export – Kazakhstan by 12% (to $ 32 million), Lithuania – by 324% ($23 million).
“In 2022, Ukrainian companies stopped selling medicines to Russia and Belarus, export to Lithuania and Latvia increased. But despite this, most of the Ukrainian pharmaceutical export goes to Asia”, – report’s authors emphasize.
They also noted that, although the largest manufacturers of medicines in Ukraine have GMP-certificates issued by Gosleksluzhba, that confirm the production and control of drugs in accordance with international quality standards, the EU does not yet recognize these certificates. “Therefore, to export to the EU, a manufacturer has to undergo an additional check by the regulatory authorities of one or another EU country. The task for Ukraine in the near future is to achieve recognition of Ukrainian certificates in the EU,” the authors of the study stressed.
Ukraine in January this year, Ukraine has reduced imports of manganese ore and concentrate in physical terms to a minimum – to 235 tons from 44 thousand tons in the same period last year.
According to statistics released by the State Customs Service (SCS), imports of manganese ore and concentrate totaled $38,000 in monetary terms during the period, compared to $5.827 million in January 2022.
At that, all imports were carried out from Slovakia (100% of deliveries in money terms).
Last month, Ukraine did not export manganese ore and concentrate, as it did in January-2022.
As earlier reported, in 2022, Ukraine reduced imports of manganese ore and concentrate in volume terms by 68.1% YoY to 135,798 thousand tons, and in monetary terms by 66.4% to $18.098 million. Most imports were from Ghana (99.16% of supplies in monetary terms), Slovakia (0.71%) and Belgium (0.10%). In August-November 2022 there were almost no imports of manganese ore.
For 2022, Ukraine did not supply manganese ore and concentrate for export.
Ukraine mines and enriches manganese ore at the Pokrovsky (formerly Ordzhonikidze) and Marganets mining and processing plants (both in Dnepropetrovsk Region).
Consumers of manganese ore are ferroalloy plants.
Ukrainian companies in January this year, imports of copper and copper products in value terms decreased by 20.9% compared to the same period last year – up to $ 6.368 million.
According to customs statistics, released by the State Customs Service of Ukraine on Thursday, the export of copper and copper products for the period decreased by 56.2% – to $ 6.407 million.
In addition, Ukraine reduced imports of nickel and its products by 96.2% in January 2022 compared to January 2021 – to $312 thousand, aluminum and its products – by 33.6%, to $26.529 million. In addition, Ukraine reduced imports of lead and its products by 95.4% – to $32 thousand, imports of tin and its products by 20.4%, to $172 thousand, and zinc and zinc products – by 67%, to $2.238 million.
Exports of aluminum and aluminum products in the first month of 2023 fell 33.7% from January 2022 to $6.776 million, lead and lead products fell 41.4% to $1.633 million, and nickel and nickel products were $3,000, down from $397,000 in January 2022.
There were no zinc exports last month, whereas in January-2022 it was $220 thousand. Tin exports and products totaled $17 thousand in January-2023, whereas in January-2022 there were no.
As reported, Ukrainian enterprises in 2022 decreased imports of copper and copper products in value terms by 64.3% compared to the previous year – to $ 65.370 million, their exports decreased by 56.3% – to $ 90.245 million. In December-2022, imported copper and copper products for $ 6.107 million, exported – to $ 6.956 million.
In addition, Ukraine has reduced imports of nickel and its products by 49.9% in 2022 compared to 2021 – up to $59.754 million (in December – $0.668 million), aluminum and its products – by 33.4% to $340.398 million ($29.457 million). At the same time, the imports of lead and lead products decreased by 66.6% to $2.839 million ($12 thousand).
Imports of tin and tin products fell by 33.5% to $3.312 million ($171 thousand), while imports of zinc and zinc products decreased by 58.7% to $38.690 million ($4.386 million).
Exports of aluminum and aluminum products for 2022 decreased 42.7% from 2021 to $96.972 million ($6.330 million in December), lead and lead products decreased 68.7% to $11.970 million ($1.396 million), and nickel and nickel products decreased 73.9% to $1.268 million ($0.1 million).
Zinc exports for 2022 were $1.331 million ($11,000 in December) compared to $550,000 in 2021. Tin and products exports for 2022 were $424,000 ($1,000 in December) compared to $346,000 the previous year.
Last year Ukraine produced 1.13 million tons of nitrogen fertilizers, which is 4.6 times less compared to 5.2 million tons in 2021, while their import rose 3.1 times – to 4.3 million tons from 1.4 million tons, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine said on Facebook.
The Ministry specified with reference to the head of the analytical project “Infoindustry” Dmitry Gordeichuk that the volume of domestic production of nitrogen fertilizers in Ukraine before the full-scale Russian invasion exceeded imports due to continuous operation of plants “Rivneazot”, “Azot” North Donetsk Association and “Azot” Cherkasy, “Dniproazot” also worked with intervals.
However, according to him, with the beginning of the war only two plants “Rivneazot” and Cherkasy “Azot” remained working, while Severodonetsk “Azot” stopped working and was significantly damaged by the occupants. Such changes significantly changed the statistics on the market for the worse: as a result, only 1.13 million tons of fertilizers could be produced in 2022, the lack of which compensated for the import of 4.3 million tons.
“The topic of fertilizer shortage is one of the most urgent for the agricultural sector and Ukrainian farmers, because we are waiting for the spring sowing season, which the whole world will be watching. Ukraine is one of the leading countries on the agricultural map and its production volume determines the world price on the grain market and the food security of the world. Accordingly, the liquidity of farmers is a topical issue for the Ministry of Agrarian Policy” – quotes Minister of Agrarian Policy Mykola Solskyy as saying.
According to the Minister, until July 2022 Ukrainian farmers were still able to buy fertilizers at pre-war prices, but in October the prices for ammonium nitrate rose from 27 thousand UAH / ton to 37 thousand UAH / ton, which created a critical situation for the Ukrainian farmers. He stressed that usually farmers are guided by the rule, according to which a ton of nitrate must not cost more than 2.5 tons of wheat and a ton of urea – not more than 3.0-3.5 tons of corn, while in 2022 these figures were exceeded two or three times.
Ministry of Agrarian Policy noted that today it is difficult to calculate the exact cost of fertilizers for modern Ukrainian agrarian, but the cost of basic nitrogen fertilizer per 1 ha of corn is approximately 8-9 thousand UAH without fertilizing and fuel costs, which have also increased in price. Therefore, the final amount is not attractive for the agrarian at the moment.
“Much depends on climatic conditions, because fertilizers work as a complex nutrition and the main thing is weather conditions. But if the agrarian will apply less fertilizer by 30% or more, then the drop in yield can be twofold. Therefore, support of international partners in this matter is very important to us, “- First Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy Taras Vysotsky quotes it.
As previously reported, according to estimates of Group DF, the main fertilizer producer in Ukraine, the fertilizer market of the country in 2022 decreased by 45-50% – from 4.75 million tons to 2-2.9 million tons.
