Business news from Ukraine

DOMESTIC PHARMACEUTICAL MANUFACTURERS IN TALKS TO LOCALIZE PRODUCTION OF INFLUENZA VACCINES IN UKRAINE

Domestic pharmaceutical manufacturers are negotiating to localize the production of influenza vaccines in Ukraine, the vaccine will be presented on the market in the first quarter of 2022, Deputy Minister of Health, Chief State Sanitary Doctor Ihor Kuzin said in an online interview with medical expert of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Ukraine Kateryna Bulavinova.
“Ukrainian pharmaceutical manufacturers are negotiating to localize the production of influenza vaccines in Ukraine. It will be a tri- or quadrivalent vaccine in monodose syringes. We hope that such a vaccine will be available on the market during the first quarter of 2022,” he said.
Kuzin noted that it is also planned to purchase about 1 million doses of the vaccine.
“According to forecasts, we will have the same influenza epidemic season as last year. Since June we have been working with vaccine manufacturers and the pharmaceutical sector. Negotiations are underway to transfer a free vaccine to vaccinate health workers within the humanitarian aid framework. The amount of vaccine that will be supplied to the country for the pharmacy network will be slightly more than last year – about 1 million doses,” the deputy minister said.

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LINDSAY FROM UNITED STATES READY TO LAUNCH PRODUCTION IN UKRAINE

The Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food has signed an agreement with Lindsay (the United States), a large international company, on the production of irrigation equipment and the creation of an industrial cluster in Ukraine to localize some of the products for irrigation. Minister of Agrarian Policy Roman Leschenko wrote about this on Facebook, commenting on the results of the working trip of President Volodymyr Zelensky and a number of government members to the United States made early September. “An agreement has been signed with Lindsay, the world leader in the field of irrigation equipment. It is ready to launch the production of a full range of irrigation equipment with a significant local content in Ukraine,” the minister wrote.
Leschenko said that each investment project that forms a new industry and provides new jobs will be accompanied by a profile minister in the “investment nanny” mode.
“On these terms, we will cooperate with Lindsay, because this is about creating a new cluster and a new technological base for the rational use of water resources: from pumps, irrigation machines to IT technologies, monitoring systems and artificial intelligence,” he wrote.
In addition, he recalled the $3 billion agreement signed on September 2 between Ukraine and the U.S. Export-Import Bank (EXIM), in which agriculture was named one of the priority areas of financing.

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UMCC INCREASES PRODUCTION

PrJSC United Mining and Chemical Company (UMCC), which manages Vilnohirsk Mining and Metallurgical Plant (Dnipropetrovsk region) and Irshansk Mining and Processing Plant (Zhytomyr region), significantly increased production indicators in August this year.
According to the company’s information on Monday, Vilnohirsk Mining and Metallurgical Plant last month fulfilled the planned targets for stripping by 111.7%, production by 111.5% and road transportation by 102.9%. At the same time, it is noted that the achieved production indicators are the highest since the beginning of the year.
The situation is similar with the implementation of the plan at Irshansk Mining: in August, the stripping plan was fulfilled by 123.3%, and production – by 100%.
“The increase in production indicators became possible thanks to restoration of the mining equipment fleet, reduction of technological downtime, reduction of equipment emergency stops and successful capital investments during the year,” the press release states.
In addition, it is reported that UMCC launched a large-scale social program in August. In order to reduce the organic matter pollution of surface waters supplied to a pumping and filtering station of a water supply shop of Vilnohirsk Mining for further treatment, in August the company began reconstruction of water intake facilities of the pumping station on the Dnipro River. This will provide the residents of Vilnohirsk and a number of settlements of Dnipropetrovsk region with high-quality drinking water.
The United Mining and Chemical Company began its actual activity in August 2014, when the government of Ukraine decided to transfer the property complexes of Vilnohirsk and Irshansk plants under its management.
UMCC sells its products to more than 30 countries of the world and is one of the world’s largest producers of titanium raw materials, occupying 4% of the world market. The main sales markets are the EU, China, Turkey, as well as the United States and African countries.

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SUGAR PRODUCTION IN UKRAINE WILL GROW BY 30%

Sugar production in Ukraine in the 2021/2022 marketing year (MY, September-August) is expected to reach 1.4 million tonnes, which is 30% more than in the previous MY, the total sugar supply in the country will be sufficient to meet domestic demand, according to the Ministry of Economy.
According to a report on the agency’s website, taking into account the growth in sugar production in the current MY and its significant residues (420,000 tonnes), which are transferred from the last MY, the total sugar supply this season will amount to 1.74 million tonnes. The Ministry of Economy specified that these volumes will be quite enough to meet domestic demand, which is approximately 1.25 million tonnes.
“At present, the sugar industry of Ukraine allows producing up to 2 million tonnes of beet sugar per year, which fully meets the country’s internal needs,” the ministry explains.
The Ministry of Economy recalled that in the 2020/2021 MY sugar production in Ukraine decreased by a quarter compared to 2019/2020 MY, to 1.1 million tonnes due to unfavorable weather conditions.
In the current MY, 33 enterprises of the industry intend to produce sugar, which corresponds to the data for 2020, the report says.
“There is a gradual decrease in sugar consumption by Ukrainians. If in 2008 the average Ukrainian consumed about 41 kg of sugar and sugar-containing products during the year, then in 2020 – 28.5 kg. Such a decrease is also associated with a change in food culture and a decrease in sugar consumption in related industries,” the Ministry of Economy summed up, citing data from the State Statistics Service.

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DNIPROSPETSSTAL INCREASES PRODUCTION OF ROLLED GOODS BY 10%

Dniprospetsstal Electrometallurgical Plant (Zaporizhia) in January-July this year increased the output of finished rolled products by 10% compared to the same period last year, to 95,200 tonnes.
A representative of the enterprise informed Interfax-Ukraine that steel production for this period increased by 7.3%, to 133,040 tonnes.
In July 19,000 tonnes of steel were smelted, 12,000 tonnes of rolled products were produced.
As reported, Dniprospetsstal in 2020 increased the output of finished rolled products by 1.3% compared to 2019, up to 154,000 tonnes, steel by 2.7%, up to 225,000 tonnes.
Dniprospetsstal is the only Ukrainian manufacturer of long products and forgings from special grades of steel: stainless, tool, high-speed, bearing, structural, as well as from heat-resistant nickel-based alloys.

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BRITISH-BASED FERREXPO INCREASES PRODUCTION OF PELLETS

British-based Ferrexpo plc, which controls in Ukraine, in particular, Poltava and Yeristovo mining and processing plants (Poltava GOK and Yeristovo GOK), in January-July of this year, according to recent data, increased production of pellets by 2.9% compared to the same period last year, to 6.563 million tonnes.
A representative of the company informed Interfax-Ukraine that in July production of pellets amounted to 1 million tonnes.
According to an announcement on the London Stock Exchange, on September 17, 2021, a general meeting of shareholders will take place, the only issue at which is the re-election of Vitaliy Lisovenko to the company’s board of directors.
At the same time, it is explained that at the annual general meeting of the company on May 27, 2021, independent non-executive director Lisovenko did not receive the required number of votes for reappointment to the board of directors. In the event that the candidacy of the independent director is approved by a majority of votes of all voting shareholders at the second general meeting, the director will be re-elected before the next annual general meeting.
The second vote will take place at 11:00 on Friday, September 17, 2021, the shareholders can participate in person at the meeting or online.
As of August 23, 2021, the issued share capital of the company consisted of 588,624,142 ordinary shares with one vote each.
Ferrexpo in 2020 increased its total pellet production by 7% compared to 2019, to 11.218 million tonnes. Concentrate output increased by 5.9%, to 14 million tonnes.
Ferrexpo is an iron ore company with assets in Ukraine.
Ferrexpo owns 100% of shares in Poltava GOK, 100% in Yeristovo GOK and 99.9% in Belanovo GOK.

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