Business news from Ukraine

Business news from Ukraine

Fuel prices are decreasing in Ukraine

On March 22-23, the cost of fuel on the steles of premium networks of filling stations OKKO and WOG decreased for diesel and gasoline A-95 by 5 UAH/l – to 52.99 and 53.99 UAH/l respectively, for liquefied gas (LPG) – by 3 UAH/l, to 35.48-35.49 UAH/l. The companies announced this on their Facebook pages on Saturday.

“Fuel prices are valid when refueling at all filling stations of the network (…) are valid when buying at “Gamanets PRIDE” up to 500 liters”, – noted, in particular, in WOG.

In turn, according to enkorr, the Kiev network of filling stations KLO from March 22 to 24 reduced prices for light petroleum products by 5-7 UAH/l depending on the brand, for LPG – by 2 UAH/l. Discounts are valid only upon presentation of a coupon at the cash desk.

According to enkorr, since the beginning of the week the trend of cheaper fuel has started in retail chains. In particular, the cost of fuel, depending on the operator and type, has decreased to 2 UAH/liter.

 

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Ukraine and Côte d’Ivoire plan to expand trade and economic cooperation

Following the agreements between President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and President of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire Alassane Ouattara, Deputy Head of the Office of the Head of State Ihor Brusilo held an online meeting with Minister of Economy and Development of Cote d’Ivoire Niale Kaba.

The key topic of discussion was activation of mutually beneficial cooperation in promising sectors of economy: agricultural industry, trade, infrastructure projects and professional training of Ivorian students in Ukrainian higher educational institutions. Côte d’Ivoire expressed readiness for partnership, in particular due to the beginning of direct dialog between the sectoral ministries.

Special attention is paid to the expansion of the legal framework of bilateral relations in trade and economic sphere. This will ensure favorable interaction in many sectors.

In addition, Brusilo and Kaba agreed on practical steps aimed at the implementation of the agreements reached.

The meeting was also attended by: Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine Taras Kachka, Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Oksana Osmachko, Director General of the Directorate for Foreign Policy and International Military-Technical Cooperation of the Office of the President Ruslan Kurochenko and representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

 

 

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Ukraine has chance to strengthen its position as leading player in global agricultural market – opinion

Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine has a profound negative impact on global food security. Ukraine still remains an important link in the global food chain, and restoring its full agricultural production and export capabilities is critical to stabilizing global food markets and preventing a large-scale food crisis, SEEDSwrites .

Denys Vasylenko, co-founder of the logistics company NIDERA AGRO, an expert in grain exports and logistics, and industry leader of the NGO Svit.UA, wrote about this in a blog post on the website of the public platform Svit.UA .

“Due to the war, Ukraine has lost a significant part of its traditional export routes. The blockade of the Black Sea ports, the destruction of transport infrastructure and constant security threats have created significant barriers to agricultural exports. Disruptions in the supply of food from Ukraine have led to an increase in global agricultural prices. This hit poor countries that are critically dependent on imports particularly hard.

At the same time, new opportunities for Ukrainian farmers have emerged, including the abolition of customs duties in the EU, which has made it easier to enter the European market,” Denys Vasylenko said .

Key export destinations and new opportunities

Agriculture accounts for a significant portion of the country’s GDP and is a key factor in economic sustainability. The full-scale invasion has shown how important it is for Ukraine to maintain logistics, especially the operation of sea routes and ports, to ensure a stable supply of products to global markets.

“The main goal of our work is to integrate Ukrainian grain into the European market. Ukraine’s export potential for 2025 is highly dependent on many factors, the main one being the end of the war and the establishment of peace. In the case of a positive scenario, Ukraine has a significant potential to restore and grow exports, using the opportunities of European integration, international support and domestic reforms. In a negative scenario, our export opportunities will be critically limited,” emphasizes the grain export and logistics expert.

We managed to knock Russian companies out of the Italian market

Nevertheless, the EU remains Ukraine’s main trading partner, emphasized Denys Vasylenko.

“In January 2025, the volume of exports to the EU reached $1.8 billion. 57% of our food exports cross the EU border, of which 52% remain in the EU countries. We managed to knock Russian companies out of the Italian market. Although it is still very difficult to compete with them on prices. Now the Italian and Spanish markets are open to us, but we need to gain a foothold there. Not only with the products we sell there. We need to have a good reputation and work efficiently for the long term.

As for global markets, we also need to work hard and look for opportunities. After we almost lost China, Egypt and Turkey, African countries are very important for our wheat. Now exports to these countries have increased from 3% to 13%. This is a good trend,” said the co-founder of the logistics company NIDERA AGRO.

According to him, the blocking of ports, destruction of infrastructure, disruption of transportation routes, security risks – all this creates extraordinary challenges for farmers.

“The war has dramatically changed the logistics routes of Ukrainian agricultural exports and led to the search for alternative export routes (by rail, river, through the western borders). To stabilize exports, it is important to have an effective logistics strategy that includes route optimization, coordination with European partners, and the use of new technological solutions in grain transportation.

One of the key areas of work of the NGO Svit.UA is advocacy of Ukrainian producers before European governments and the business community.

The organization is actively working to ensure stable access of Ukrainian agricultural products to the EU markets and to support the competitiveness of our farmers. In addition, the NGO Svit.UA helps producers adapt their logistics processes, looks for new export opportunities and participates in the creation of effective solutions to improve agro-logistics,” adds Denys Vasylenko.

Ukrainian agricultural exports are facing unprecedented challenges, but at the same time, they are getting new opportunities, the grain export and logistics expert believes.

“Gaining a foothold in the European market, developing the African direction, searching for new logistics solutions and an effective product promotion strategy are the key areas that will determine the future of Ukrainian agricultural exports.

Ukraine has every chance to not only maintain but also strengthen its position as one of the leading players in the global food market. To do this, we need not only to effectively solve logistical issues, but also to build long-term strategic partnerships with importing countries despite any challenges,” Denys Vasylenko is convinced.

SEEDS

 

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Ukraine is undisputed leader in terms of sunflower oil supplies to EU

According to the European Commission, from July 1, 2024 to February 2, 2025, the European Union countries imported about 1.24 million tons of sunflower oil. This is less than in the same period last year (1.51 million tons), but higher than in the 2022/23 season (1.13 million tons). The pace of imports has slowed in recent weeks: while in December up to 59,000 tons were imported weekly, in early February – less than 25,000 tons per week.

Ukraine remains the largest supplier of sunflower oil to the EU, providing 94% of imports (1.17 million tons). However, this is lower than the previous year’s figure (1.40 million tons) due to reduced raw material supplies, slower processing and limited export potential.

Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina are the second and third largest suppliers of sunflower oil to the EU with market shares of 3% and almost 1% respectively. However, their export volumes also declined compared to the previous year.

The decline in supplies from Ukraine, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina is prompting the EU to seek new sunflower oil suppliers to compensate for the deficit and stabilize the market.

Source – TG channel Serbian Economist

 

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Wholesale prices for tomatoes are falling in Ukraine

In Ukraine this week prices for imported tomatoes produced in Turkey have started to decrease, analysts of the EastFruit project report. The reason for this was a rather weak interest of wholesale companies and retail chains in the purchase of these products.

Today Ukrainian importers offer Turkish tomatoes for sale at 75-90 UAH/kg ($1.79-2.15/kg), depending on the quality and volume of batches, which is on average 14% cheaper than at the end of last week. At the same time, the supply of imported products is quite voluminous, while the demand for them is quite restrained. As a result, significant volumes of unsold products are accumulated in the warehouses of companies, due to which sellers are ready to concede in price.

Thus, during the week the supply of tomatoes from Turkey continued to increase, as a result of which the supply on the market remained excessive. Due to low sales rates, most wholesalers and retailers reduced the volume of tomato purchases and purchased new batches as the existing stocks were realized.

At the same time, it should be noted that prices for imported tomatoes in Ukraine are currently still 10% higher than in the same period last year. According to key market players, if the sales rates in the tomato segment do not accelerate in the near future, the decline in prices for these products may last until the end of February this year.

You can get more detailed information about market development of tomatoes and other horticultural products in Ukraine by subscribing to the operative analytical weekly – EastFruit Ukraine Weekly Pro. Detailed information about the product can be found here.

EastFruit

 

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Ukraine and Egypt discuss free trade zone

Ukraine and Egypt may sign a free trade agreement that will expand the range of products traded between the two countries, according to Vitaliy Koval, Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food.

The Minister noted that the trade turnover of agricultural products between Ukraine and Egypt increased in 2024. In particular, the export of Ukrainian agricultural products increased by 32% compared to 2023 and amounted to $1.4 billion. It is based on corn, wheat, soybeans, and oil. Egypt supplies Ukraine with citrus fruits, potatoes, nuts, and more.

According to the minister, Egypt is interested in expanding cooperation, particularly in the field of livestock and exports of Ukrainian meat. At the same time, there are factors that hinder the development of trade, including veterinary and phytosanitary restrictions.

The parties discussed issues of processing and storage of agricultural products, the use of modern technologies to reduce food losses and increase production efficiency. The Ukrainian side is represented by Taras Kachka, Deputy Minister of Economy and Trade Representative of Ukraine, and Serhiy Tkachuk, Head of the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection.

The Ukrainian delegation has already held talks with the Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation Alaa El-Din Farouk and the Minister of Supply and Internal Trade of Egypt Sharif Farouk. The parties discussed prospects for bilateral partnership in agriculture and food security.

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