Almost all groups of Ukrainian-made commodities demonstrated the growth of exports in the first quarter of 2018 year-over-year, however, exports of timber and paper grew most (by 39%, or $140 million), the Economic Development and Trade Ministry said on its website. “The EU remains the largest trading partner of Ukraine. Exports of goods to the EU during the first quarter of 2018 amounted to $5.07 billion, its share was 44.4% in the total exports of goods from the country,” the ministry said.
Exports of chemicals and related products for the period increased by 29%, or $134 million, those of light industry products grew by 23% ($58 million), metal by 23% ($558 million).
Farm produce and processed food accounted for the largest share of Ukrainian exports (38%), while the share of metallurgy was 26%, that of machine building was 11%, and mineral products 9%, the ministry said.
As reported, in January-March 2018, exports of goods from Ukraine increased by 10.3% year-over-year, to $11.435 billion, while imports grew by 13.2%, to $ 12.636 billion.
The State Export Control Service of Ukraine has designed a draft anti-corruption program for 2018-2019. According to the document posted on the website of the authority, the program is intended to create the effective corruption prevention and reveal system in the authority based on new principles of making and implementing the anti-corruption policy.
Among measures to be taken is the analysis of data in relation to corruption risks in the authority, as well as factor that give rise to it; regular monitoring of the implementation of tasks and functions by the authority with the purpose of revealing and removing conditions giving rise to corruption risks and corruption crimes.
The measures also include the provision of financial supervision through declaration of property, income, expenses of officials and employees of the authority, creation of proper conditions for receiving information from whistleblowers who exposes corruption and crimes linked to corruption and the creation of the system of their protection and keeping information in secret.
According to the analysis of corruption risks posted on the website of the authority, corruption risks with medium and high priority are the following: providing advice on processing and submission of necessary documents in the field of export control to the authority; acceleration or delay in the processing of applications of subjects of international transfers of goods to obtain permits for the right to export and import military goods; a lack of a clear procedure for investigating offenses in the sphere of state export control and a lack of authority of the relevant department to identify these offenses independently; leakage of information from electronic databases operating by the authority and other risks.
Ukraine has received the right to export beef to the Turkish market, according to the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection.
This decision was made following the results of work of the technical mission of the directorate general for protection and control of the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock of Turkey on assessing state control over beef production, which operated in Ukraine in late April 2018.
Turkish inspectors audited the system of state control over production of beef in Ukraine and inspected slaughter enterprises that are interested in exporting their products to Turkey.
At the same time, the service notes that work on agreeing the form of a veterinary certificate for exports of Ukrainian beef to Turkey is currently at the final stages.
Ukroliya (Poltava region) has certified organic products in accordance with the USDA Organic standard of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. According to a company press release, this certificate opens up the prospect of supplying organic vegetable oil to the United States market for the company. The USDA Organic/NOP certificate covers all aspects of production, processing, transportation and sale of organic products.
Earlier, the company certified its products according to the organic products standard of the European Union and the Swiss standard BioSuisse.
As reported, in November 2017 Ukroliya launched a plant for production of organic oil, Ukroliya Organic, in the village of Dykanka (Poltava region). Investments in it amounted to about UAH 50 million. The company plans to process 18,000 tonnes of sunflower, 50,000 tonnes of soybeans a year, produce 7,020 tonnes of organic sunflower oil, 6,750 tonnes of organic soybean oil, 7,100 tonnes of cake, and 3,000 tonnes of sunflower husk. Ukroliya was founded in 2001. It is engaged in production and sale of packed and bulk sunflower oil, sunflower meal, and husk. Its production facilities are located in the village of Dykanka and Zenkiv town (Poltava region).
Ukraine in January-April 2018 increased exports of steel-making pig iron in natural terms by 87.7% compared to the same period last year, to 1.023 million tonnes.
According to customs statistics released by the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine, during this period exports of pig iron in monetary terms increased by 2.2 times, to $339.946 million.
At the same time, exports were mainly carried out to the United States (47.66% of deliveries in monetary terms), Italy (19.33%), and Turkey (10.94%).
Ukraine in January-April 2018 imported 414 tonnes of similar products for $256,000, whereas in January-April 2017 some 1,022 tonnes for $522,000. Imports were carried out from Russia (67.97% of deliveries in monetary terms), and Germany (32.03%).
Ukraine exported 2,670 tonnes of cheese in January-April 2018, which is 7.8% more than in the same period in 2017. According to customs statistics released by the State Fiscal Service, in monetary terms exports increased by 20%, to $10.18 million. Cheese imports in January-April 2018 amounted to 3,730 tonnes, which is 31.7% more than in the same period in 2017. In monetary terms this figure increased by 1.5 times, to $19.01 million.
Exports of butter from Ukraine in January-April of this year increased by 2.2 times, to 12,160 tonnes. In monetary terms the figure amounted to $52 million against $19.97 million in the same period in 2017. Butter imports rose by 2.4 times, to 393 tonnes ($2.53 million).
Exports of milk and cream (condensed) in January-April 2018 decreased by 1.4 times, to 9,830 tonnes. Ukraine supplied condensed milk and cream for a total of $16.69 million, which is 1.5 times less than in January-April 2017.