South Korean corporation POSCO International plans to resume full operation of its grain terminal in Mykolaiv region, according to a press release from the Ministry of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture following a meeting between Minister Oleksiy Sobolev and business representatives during a working trip to Odesa.
The ministry specified that the meeting discussed the prospects for developing infrastructure for storing grain and vegetable products (storage facilities and cold rooms).
“The Ukrainian side emphasized the need to develop mechanisms to protect businesses in wartime and reduce the cost of marine insurance. At the same time, the government is working on a program to support the restoration of trade routes in the Mykolaiv region,” the statement said.
The Korean delegation, consisting of POSCO International Corporation Vice President Kim Young-hoon and POSCO International Ukraine Sales Director An Suk-hyun, noted the Ukrainian government’s cooperation with the Economic Development and Cooperation Fund (EDCF). Through the EDCF and KEXIM Bank programs, Korean companies have the opportunity to participate in the transformational reconstruction of Ukraine. This includes POSCO, which has experience in implementing infrastructure projects abroad.
One of the company’s priorities is the construction of an RDF-fueled (Refuse-derived fuel) thermal power plant in Odesa. Consultations with the city administration on environmental and energy efficiency issues have already been held. The project to build a CHP plant in Odesa has been tentatively included in the list of priorities.
“The project in Odesa is very important for our ministry because it combines an investment component with an environmental component. The initiative is aimed at protecting the environment and introducing modern technologies to reduce emissions. In the future, this practice can be extended to other regions of Ukraine. The Agency for Reconstruction is submitting this project to the Unified Project Portfolio of the State, and it is expected to be evaluated by experts and subsequently approved by the Strategic Investment Council,” Sobolev said.
Regarding the implementation of a joint project with JSC Ukrzaliznytsia – the construction of a railway depot – various mechanisms for attracting investment are currently being considered, in particular, public procurement and public-private partnership instruments. The first option opens up more opportunities for Korean companies to participate in Ukraine’s recovery, while the second option allows for the localization and involvement of Ukrainian manufacturers in the project as part of the “Made in Ukraine” state policy aimed at stimulating the development of national production.
GRAIN TERMINAL, MYKOLAIV REGION, ODESA, POSCO International, TPP
Prices for apartments in Odesa showed the largest growth in the primary housing market of Ukraine in the first half of 2025 – up to $1130 per square meter, which is 19% more than in the same period last year, according to the real estate portal LUN.
According to LUN’s analytical data, the top five cities where prices for new buildings rose the most in January-March 2025 also included Mykolaiv (+8%, to $700/sq m), Ternopil (+7%, to $740/sq m), Chernihiv (+7%, to $750/sq m) and Lutsk (+7%, to $930/sq m).
At the beginning of July, Lviv remained the most expensive city in terms of price per square meter ($1370 per square meter), where the price in June 2025 increased by an average of 2% compared to June 2024 and by 5% since the beginning of the year. In the Lviv region, prices increased by 10% and 6%, respectively, to $890 per square meter.
Apartments in new buildings in Kyiv increased in price by 3% compared to June 2024 and 2% since the beginning of the year and reached $1290 per square meter. In the Kyiv region, prices have increased by 8% since the beginning of the year, to $820 per square meter.
Ivano-Frankivsk showed an increase of 10% in June-2025 to June-2024 and 3% for six months, reaching $850/sq. m. At the same time, in Ivano-Frankivsk region, apartments in new buildings went up by 19%, and by 9% in six months, to $880 per square meter.
“LUN notes that in Dnipro, prices for new buildings remained almost unchanged year-on-year: “plus” 1% in June 2025 to June 2024, but “minus” 1% by January 2025 – to $1070/sq. m. The situation in Kharkiv is similar: “minus” 5% by June-2024 and “plus” 5% by January-2025 – $660/sq. m.
Olis (Odesa) has designed and launched a new turnkey cereal processing plant for Tõrvaaugu Mahe Talu (Leibre, Estonia) with a capacity of 24 tons per day, said Dmitry Kisilevsky, deputy chairman of the parliamentary committee on economic development.
“The aggregate groats mill is based on the advanced Optymatik-G-24 technology, which involves processing buckwheat grain into kernels. The production complex also includes aspiration, gravity transport, pneumatic transport, electronics and automation,” he wrote on Facebook on Wednesday.
According to the MP, Olis’ technologists adapted the equipment to the architectural features of the Estonian customer’s production facility and implemented multi-format packaging – from big bags to small packaging.
“To manufacture the equipment for the new cereal mill, Olis took advantage of the state program of affordable loans “5-7-9”, he said.
Kysylevsky added that Olis produces more than 200 types of equipment for processing grain into flour and cereals, cleaning and quality control of grain. The capacity of the groats mills it designs and installs ranges from 15 to 300 tons per day.
The share of exports in the company’s sales is 25%. The level of localization of its equipment is about 75%. The company employs 211 people.
“The program to compensate 25% of the cost of agricultural machinery is already helping the plant to compete in the domestic market with producers from Turkey, China, Switzerland, Poland, and Canada. (…) The opportunity to sell equipment with buyers using government grants for processing (up to UAH 8 million on a co-financing basis) is also relevant for the company. After all, the cheapest cereal processing plant produced by Olis costs from UAH 4 million,” Kysylevsky said in a statement.
According to the company’s website, Olis LLC has been operating in Ukraine for 20 years, developing, manufacturing and installing equipment for grain cleaning, processing and quality control. It has created, among other things, one of the world’s largest grain cleaning drum separators, Luch-300, with a capacity of over 300 tons per hour, which is installed, among others, at the Starokostiantyniv Grain Processing Plant, Transgrainterminal in Chornomorsk, and other enterprises in Ukraine and abroad.
Currently, it exports its products to more than 35 countries: from Canada to Tanzania, from the EU to Central Asia.
According to the Clarity Project, in 2024, the company earned UAH 10.4 million in net profit, compared to UAH 1.4 million in losses last year, with revenue increasing by 53% to UAH 234 million.
The co-founders of Olys LLC are three Odesa-based entrepreneurs – Oleksandr Vereshchynskyi (30%), Oleh Vasyliev, and Larysa Ostapenko (35% each).
In 2024, the ports of Greater Odesa increased their cargo handling by 2.6 times compared to 2023, to 79.9 million tons, while the Danube ports reduced this figure by 1.8 times, to 17.3 million tons, said Oleh Kiper, Head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration.
“In 2024, the ports of the region handled 97+ million tons of cargo, which is 57% more than in 2023. In particular, the ports of Greater Odesa handled 79.9 million tons, and the ports of the Danube – 17.3 million tons,” he said in a statement.
Kiper noted that these were mainly agricultural products destined for different countries of the world.
In addition, he said that during the period of operation of the sea corridor, from August 16, 2023, about 3.5 thousand vessels left the ports of Greater Odesa.
Earlier it was reported that in total, in 2023, the ports of Greater Odesa handled 30.6 million tons of cargo: the port of Chornomorsk – 11.41 million tons, Pivdennyi – 10.8 million tons, Odesa – 8.41 million tons. The sea corridor exported 12.8 million tons of cargo.
In 2023, the Danube ports handled 32 million tons of cargo.
The total cargo turnover of Ukrainian seaports in 2024 reached 97 million tons.
Zezman Holding (Odesa) completed the construction of 15.2 thousand square meters of housing in 2024 and will continue to implement the previously announced residential estates in Uzhhorod and Odesa next year.
“This year, we have taken a bold and strategically important step by expanding our presence from the southern region to the west of Ukraine. We presented two large-scale projects: Lizrome in Uzhhorod, the first residential community in the region that meets the principles of sustainable development, and Gross Liebental cottage community in Odesa agglomeration, designed with a focus on energy autonomy, security and flexibility of housing solutions,” Boris Goldenstein, founder and CEO of Zezman Holding, toldInterfax-Ukraine.
By the end of 2024, the developer completed the construction of two buildings with 357 apartments in the Artville residential complex in Odesa, with a total area of 15.2 thousand square meters. The construction of nine buildings for 1 thousand apartments with a total area of 43.5 thousand square meters is also underway.
According to the company, about 40% of sales are made under the eOselya program, which indicates a high demand for mortgage programs.
“At the same time, we are seeing an increase in demand for ready-made housing, in particular, for renovated apartments that meet the principles of ready to use. This reflects the changing priorities of consumers who are looking for comfort and convenience without spending time and money on repairs,” Zezman Holding said.
Founded in 2013, Zezman Holding has commissioned 13 houses, with another 28 residential buildings at various stages of construction.
On December 6, Odesa Customs announced a tender for compulsory motor third party liability insurance for owners of land vehicles.
According to the electronic public procurement system Prozorro, the expected cost of insurance services is UAH 60 thousand.
The deadline for submitting bids is December 14.
