The Elektrostal steel smelting enterprise (Kurakhove, Donetsk region) in January-July 2019 saw 65.5% decrease in production of continuous cast steel billets, to 62,000 tonnes compared to the same period of 2018.
As the representative of the enterprise told Interfax-Ukraine, the enterprise stood idle from January to the middle of March, and partially resumed its operation from the middle of March 2019. Now the enterprise is working to one third of its capacities.
It produced 10,000 tonnes of billets in July, 14,000 tonnes in June, 10,000 in May, 17,000 in April and 11,000 in March 2019.
Previously the reason for this situation is the rise in prices for scrap ferrous metal, which makes production unprofitable.
Elektrostal in 2018 reduced the production of continuous cast steel billets by 34.2% compared with 2017, to 289,000 tonnes.
Donetsk Metal Rolling Plant (DMPZ) since 2000 began to experience a shortage of purchased steel billets for its own rolling production, as a result of which it was decided to build a steelmaking enterprise – Elektrostal.
DMPZ specializes in the production and sale of metal products – long products, cast iron pipes, structural elements of ferrous metals, nuts and shovels.
Production of vehicles in Ukraine through January-July 2019 decreased by 12.6% compared with the same period of 2018, to 3,562 vehicles, assembly of Skoda passenger cars by Eurocar Plant saw 12.4% slowdown, to 3,066 cars.
According to statistics of Ukrautoprom association posted on its website, thus decline rate of vehicle production slightly slowed down compared to the similar period of 2018 and was 23.5%.
The production of commercial vehicles was 2.5 times less: only 46 vehicles were manufactured for the seven month (excluding AvtoKrAZ, which has stopped disclosing production information since August 2016), including 39 by Cherkasy Bus (29 in 2018), and seven by Zaporizhia Automobile Plant (ZAZ, 85 vehicles)
The production of buses saw light negative trend by 2.4%: 450 buses were produced, against 461 a year earlier. The Cherkasy Bus with 220 buses for the mentioned period remained the leader of their production, the Chernihiv Automobile Plant increased production by five buses and produced 99 units, the ZAZ produced 40 buses against 24 a year ago, Bogdan Corporation manufactured 44 buses against 4 items a year ago, and the Chasiv Yar Bus Plant saw 47% fall in bus production, to 47 units.
The association reported that in July the national enterprises assembled 613 vehicles that 2.8 times more that in July 2018 and 10% more that in June 2019.
This growth pace is linked to the increase of assembly of Skoda passenger cars by Eurocar Plant up to 534 units against 150 in July 2018.
The producers of commercial cars increased output up to 25 units in July (five units in 2018), while bus production shrank from 66 to 54 units. The biggest number of buses was produced by the Cherkasy Bus.
As reported, in 2018, the Ukrainian automakers produced only 6,616 vehicles. This was 23% less than a year earlier, and production capacity was loaded less than 1.5%.
The Ukrainian Grain Association (UGA) in its August forecast predicts growth in grain and oilseeds production in the country in the 2019/20 agricultural year to 95.2 million tonnes (the previous forecast had 94.7 million tonnes), and exports – to 58.2 million tonnes (56.9 million tonnes).
According to the information on the association’s website, in the context of crops, changes relate to: wheat production is projected at 27.7 million tonnes (against 28.9 million tonnes in the previous forecast), exports – 21 million tonnes (20 million tonnes); barley production – 8.6 million tonnes (8.4 million tonnes), exports – 4.7 million tonnes (4.9 million tonnes); corn production – 34.5 million tonnes (32.2 million tonnes), export – 27 million tonnes (26 million tonnes).
As reported, the Ministry of Agricultural Policy and Food of Ukraine predicts an increase in the grain harvest in 2019 under favorable conditions up to 70.8 million tonnes compared with 70.1 million tonnes in 2018.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) predicts a grain harvest in Ukraine this year at 72.6 million tonnes, exports – 51.4 million tonnes.
Vinnytsia oil and fat mill of ViOil Industrial Group in 2018/2019 season has produced more nearly 89,000 tonnes of soybeans, which is 2.4 times more than last year.
According to the company’s press release, the combine processed over 17,000 tonnes of unrefined soybean oil and about 65,000 tonnes of soya oilseed meal.
The mill exports all processed soya products.
As reported, Kernel, one of the largest Ukrainian agrarian groups, in February-2019 acquired 5.85% of ViOil shares.
ViOil Industrial Group was created by Viktor Ponomarchuk in 2006 on the basis of agricultural assets of KMT industrial group.
Currently ViOil owns 13 granaries with a total capacity of 360,000 tonnes. The group exports products to more than 60 countries.
A law “On basic principles and requirements for organic production, circulation and labeling of organic products” came into force on August 2.
The law, in particular, meant to improve the legal regulation of organic production in Ukraine and bring it into line with the EU legislation, Agrarian Policy and Food Ministry of Ukraine reported on its website.
“Ukrainian domestic organic products are becoming more popular in the foreign markets: over the past few years our state has become an important supplier of the organic products to the western markets, being ranked the fourth among the exporters of the organic products to the EU countries,” the ministry said adding that all necessary regulatory legal enactments have been already drafted.
Besides, the lawmakers envisaged a mechanism for certification of the organic production. If the organic goods put up for sale without a respective certificate, sellers of such production will have to pay fines in amount of five to eight of minimum wages, reads a report on the ministry’s website.
According to new law, the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection will be a supervisor of organic production in Ukraine.
On July 10 the Verkhovna Rada at second reading and as a whole adopted bill No. 5448-d on basic principles and requirements for organic production, circulation and labeling of organic products, and President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko signed it at the end of July. The law, in particular, establishes the basis for the legal regulation of organic production and the functioning of the market of such products.
AIS group of companies plans to start producing tractors under the KrASZ brand from the components of the leading Asian companies at the Avto-Holding plant (Kremenchuk, Poltava region), AIS has said in a press release.
At the first stage, it is planned to establish the production of agricultural machinery with a capacity of up to 30 hp, which is most in demand among small and medium-sized farms.
“The segment of this equipment has a rather large capacity, according to our estimates, it is more than 17,000 tractors per year, and it is developing steadily. We expect in the medium term to occupy from 5% to 10% in it,” the press service said citing AIS Marketing Director Serhiy Borovik.
The group has not yet disclosed the remaining details of the project, noting that detailed information about the model range planned for production, prices and the start of accepting orders will be announced in August-September of this year.
AIS group of companies, established in 1992, is the national network of auto centers and service stations, spares stores, a manufacturing enterprise, regional automobile warehouses and a logistics center for storage and distribution of spare parts, a customs and licensed warehouse, and a motor transport company.
