Northern Mining and Processing Plant (Northern GOK, Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk region), part of the Metinvest Group, will sow rye on 75 hectares of tailings storage facilities as part of a dust suppression and soil fertility restoration program.
According to the company, throughout September, work is continuing on sowing cereal crops on dry areas of the tailings pond at the Northern Mining and Processing Plant’s technical supply and sludge management facility. The measures are being carried out as part of the City Program for Solving Environmental Problems in Kryvbas and Improving the State of the Natural Environment.
It should be noted that Metinvest’s enterprises are making efforts to maintain production and, even during these extremely difficult times, have not abandoned their commitments to addressing environmental issues.
This year, Northern GOK has planned and is already carrying out large-scale work using green technologies that will help prevent the dispersion of dry tailings ponds. Ten tons of seeds and four tons of complex fertilizers will be used to sow the disturbed land. Currently, the cereals sown in the first ten days of September have already sprouted.
“We conducted our first experiment with sowing rye on the tailings pond of Northern GOK in 2021. At that time, we had doubts about whether the crop would take root in areas with highly mineralized tailings. The positive result gave us the confidence to continue this practice in the future. Through experimentation, we also found that winter rye provides the best protection for surfaces. It has time to sprout before the cold weather sets in and form a dense network of roots, which prevents dry tailings from scattering in windy weather,” explained Oleg Bereza, lead dust control engineer at Northern GOK, explaining the essence of the method.
According to the specialist, today the area of the Northern GOK tailings pond is almost 170 hectares. Of these, 75 hectares of dry ponds will be planted with rye. About 60 hectares of the tailings pond are currently involved in increasing the level from +165 meters to +169 meters. Irrigation of this territory is carried out by a contracted construction organization. On more than 35 hectares of maps, uniform silting is carried out and the design water level in the storage pond is maintained. Also, to prevent dust formation, irrigation equipment is operating on the technological roads of the shop according to the schedule.
Northern GOK is part of the Metinvest Group, whose main shareholders are System Capital Management (SCM, Donetsk) (71.24%) and the Smart Holding group of companies (23.76%). The managing company of the Metinvest Group is Metinvest Holding LLC.
dust suppression, Pivdenny GOK, tailings storage facilities, WHEAT
In the first two months of the new marketing year (2025/2026 MY), which began on July 1, Ukraine exported 1.456 million tons of wheat, which is 28% less than in the same period last season (2.026 million tons), according to APK-Inform.
Egypt became the key importer of Ukrainian wheat, almost doubling its purchases to 699,000 tons and becoming the largest buyer.
At the same time, most other traditional importers reduced their volumes:
Supplies also decreased to:
As of early September, Ukraine had harvested 30.4 million tons of grain crops on an area of 7.2 million hectares, which is about 63% of the total crop.
Earlier, the Experts Club information and analytical center presented a study of Ukraine’s main trading partners in the first half of 2025, where Egypt ranked first in terms of positive balance among all of Ukraine’s trading partners.
“Egypt is an extremely important and profitable trading partner for the country, along with a number of other Arab states. Partnerships with these countries provide the country with currency and somewhat correct the extremely negative trend of recent years with Ukraine’s constantly growing trade deficit,” emphasized Maxim Urakin, founder of Experts Club.
A decrease in supply on the residential real estate market in Kyiv and stable demand from buyers are maintaining the upward trend in prices for new buildings. By the end of the year, the cost per square meter will increase by 10-15%, the DIM group of companies told the Interfax-Ukraine agency.
“According to analysts at the DIM group of companies and industry observations, if the pace of the second half of the year does not fall below that of the first, the city will receive approximately 12-14 thousand new apartments by the end of the year, which is 15-20% less than last year. At the same time, limited supply amid stable demand will contribute to a further 10-15% increase in prices in the primary market by the end of the year,” the group said in a statement.
According to DIM, in the first half of 2025, the average price of new buildings increased by approximately 14% compared to the same period last year. Thus, , the average cost per square meter in new buildings is currently about $1,000/sq. m in the “economy” segment, $1,300/sq. m in the “comfort” segment, $2,200/sq. m in the ‘business’ segment, and $4,400/sq. m in the “premium” segment.
At the same time, the rate of increase in housing prices on the secondary market in the capital is slower: in the first half of 2025, prices rose by 8-10%, and the average cost per square meter on the secondary market is $2,000/sq. m.
According to Arseniy Nasikovsky, junior partner at DIM, the ability to move into ready-built housing is the main factor in choosing housing on the secondary market. However, a further reduction in the supply of new buildings in the event of a deterioration in the security situation will also shift the focus to secondary market properties.
“The choice between primary and secondary housing in 2025 will depend on the balance between readiness, risk, and the buyer’s financial capabilities. If the buyer values the ‘move in and live’ formula, they will choose secondary housing. New buildings offer a fundamentally different level of comfort, primarily a new level of security, which is very important in wartime, modern layouts, energy efficiency, and the availability of shelters and parking lots,” the expert explained.
According to DIM’s forecast, the restoration of new construction volumes to pre-war levels can be expected no earlier than the end of 2027. Today, there are only 140-145 residential complexes for sale on the capital’s market, which is a quarter less than before the war.
The portfolio of the development company DIM consists of real estate in Kyiv and the region with a total area of over 900,000 square meters. More than 3,600 apartments have been commissioned, and more than 356,000 square meters of residential and commercial space has been built. Six projects with a total area of more than 346,000 square meters are currently under construction.
Analysis, DIM, KYIV, REAL ESTATE, WHEAT
As of September 22, Ukraine had exported nearly 1.7 million tons of wheat, and there is enough product on the market to cover contracts, which is holding back price growth, but the situation may change in October.
This forecast was announced by the analytical cooperative “Pusk,” created within the framework of the All-Ukrainian Agrarian Council (VAR).
“The indicative price for third-class wheat remains at $212–214 CPT-port. This is due to sufficient product reserves among traders and high supply on the global market, especially from Russia,” its analysts noted.
According to their information, coverage of wheat contracts for November-December will significantly decrease for many market players.
“Contracts for October are already being concluded at a price of $218-220 CPT-port with a potential increase to $223. The main reason is a reduction in stocks and growing uncertainty about the future harvest,” the experts explained.
Climate risks in countries that are major wheat producers will be the leading factor supporting prices.
“In Ukraine, the central and southern regions are suffering from drought, and no significant rainfall is forecast in the near future. Russia is also experiencing a critical moisture deficit, and the pace of sowing is the slowest in the last five years. A similar situation is observed in France, Romania, and Bulgaria, where moisture shortages are threatening winter wheat yields. Given this, there is a threat of a reduction in winter crop areas. Importers, anticipating potential problems with the 2026 harvest, may purchase grain more actively. Therefore, wheat prices may rise significantly in January-March,” Pusk states.
Astarta, Ukraine’s largest sugar producer, has completed its early grain and oilseed harvest, yielding 237,000 tons of wheat (-9% y/y) and 31,000 tons of rapeseed (-23% y/y), according to the press service of the agricultural holding.
Astarta noted that wheat yields were 5.2 tons/ha (-3% y/y) and rapeseed yields were 2.7 tons/ha (-20% y/y).
“The current season was characterized by a number of climatic challenges: a lack of precipitation over most of the territory, spring frosts, local hailstorms, and prolonged rains in the western regions, which affected the pace of crop ripening and harvesting. At the same time, thanks to effective planning, the prompt deployment of equipment, and the coordinated work of Astarta’s agronomic and production teams, the company ensured timely and high-quality harvesting,” the agricultural holding said.
The highest results were achieved by agricultural companies in western Ukraine: Zhitnytsia Podillya with a wheat yield of 7.4 t/ha and Volochysk-Agro with a rapeseed yield of 3.1 t/ha. Astarta has now begun harvesting late crops.
At the same time, Astarta’s farmers are sowing winter crops for the 2026 harvest. The planned areas are 44,000 ha for winter wheat (-3% y/y) and 16,000 ha for winter rapeseed (+45% y/y).
According to the results of the first half of 2025, revenue in the segment amounted to EUR61 million (-38% y/y) amid a decline in sales volumes compared to last year’s harvest. Exports accounted for 83% of the segment’s revenue (compared to 93% in the first half of 2024),” the agricultural holding summarized.
Astarta is a vertically integrated agro-industrial holding operating in eight regions of Ukraine and the largest sugar producer in Ukraine. It comprises six sugar factories, agricultural enterprises with a land bank of 220,000 hectares, dairy farms with 22,000 head of cattle, an oil extraction plant in Hlobyn (Poltava region), seven elevators, and a biogas complex.
In 2024, Astarta increased its net profit by 34.5% to EUR83.25 million, while its consolidated revenue decreased by 1.1% to EUR612.15 million.
In the first quarter of this year, the agricultural holding’s revenue fell by 24.9% to EUR124.58 million, while net profit fell by 28.8% to EUR6.42 million.
On June 12 this year, the shareholders’ meeting approved the payment of dividends for 2024 in the amount of EUR0.5 per share for a total of EUR12.5 million, which corresponds to the figures for the previous two years.
As of July 18, farmers harvested 7.226 million tons of early grains and legumes from an area of 2.355 million hectares, compared to 2.62 million tons from 919.9 thousand hectares a week earlier, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food reported.
The ministry noted that 4.671 million tons of wheat have already been harvested (against 1.238 million tons a week earlier) from 1.504 million hectares (434.8 thousand hectares), 2.182 million tons of barley (1.153 million tons) from an area of 660.6 thousand hectares (364 thousand hectares), and 362.9 thousand tons of peas (225.1 thousand tons) from 170.8 thousand hectares (119.7 thousand hectares).
Odesa region is the leader in the harvest of grains and pulses, harvesting 2.02 mln tonnes from 722.1 thou hectares, Mykolaiv region – 1.173 mln tonnes from 488.7 thou hectares, Kirovohrad region – 963 thou tonnes from 238.6 thou hectares.
Rapeseed is harvested in 14 regions. The harvested area is 614.1 thsd tonnes (290.1 thsd tonnes) from 360.3 thsd ha (178.9 thsd ha).
As reported, as of July 19, 2024, agrarians of all regions of Ukraine harvested 15.7 mln tonnes of new crop from 4.4 mln ha, including 10.3 mln tonnes of wheat from 2.627 thou. hectares, barley – 3.1 mln tonnes from 824.2 thou hectares, peas – 319.3 thou tonnes from 154.7 thou hectares, rapeseed – 1.8 mln tonnes from 779.1 thou hectares, soybeans – 0.3 thou tonnes from 0.2 thou hectares, millet – 80 tonnes from 50 thou hectares.
wheat, barley
