Ukraine exported more than 20.5 million tonnes of wheat and 30.3 million tonnes of corn in the 2019/2020 agricultural year (July-June), President of the Ukrainian Grain Association (UGA) Mykola Horbachev has said. “The 2019-2020 grain season was successful. We produced a record number of grains and oilseeds. The grain and oilseeds harvest was a little over 98 million tonnes, which is an absolute record for Ukraine. A record amount of wheat was grown – more than 28 million tonnes. Wheat exports amounted to more than 20 million tonnes. Corn export exceeded all expectations. We exported more than 30 million tonnes. This year was successful,” he said at a press conference in Kyiv on Thursday.
The head of the UGA predicted that by 2026 Ukraine will produce 113 million tonnes of grain and oilseeds a year and export 70 million tonnes.
According to the UGA, export of grain and oilseeds in the 2020/21 season will be some 58.8 million tonnes.
Ukrainian enterprises in January-May of this year reduced export of scrap metal by 54.8% compared to the same period last year, to 16,489 tonnes (36,515 tonnes were exported in January-May 2019).
According to statistics released by the State Customs Service, in terms of money, scrap exports fell by 58.1%, to $4.181 million.
In January, 2,865 tonnes of scrap metal were exported, in February some 8,014 tonnes, in March 493 tonnes, in April 256 tonnes, and in May 4,861 tonnes.
At the same time, in January-May of this year, the country reduced imports of scrap metal in natural terms by 76.2% compared to the same period last year, to 6,841 tonnes. In monetary terms, this indicator decreased by 49.9%, to $7.411 million.
Scrap metal was imported mainly from Turkey (65.46% of supplies in monetary terms), the Russian Federation (26.52%) and the Netherlands (5.07%), exports were made to Turkey (78.41%), the Netherlands (11.29%), and Germany (7.22%).
In addition, the metal enterprises of Ukraine in January-May 2020 imported 1,602 tonnes of products of direct reduction of iron from ore according to code 7203 (hot briquetted iron), which is a substitute for cast iron and scrap metal, in the amount of $481,000, whereas in January-May 2019 they did not import this product from the Russian Federation and did not export it.
Ukraine increased electricity exports by 15% (by 319.4 million kWh) in January-April 2020 compared to the same period in 2019, to 2.449 billion kWh, the Ministry of Energy and Environment Protection has told Interfax-Ukraine. Electricity supplies from the Burshtyn thermal power plant (TPP) energy island to Hungary, Slovakia and Romania increased by 24.7% (by 351.2 million kWh), to 1.772 billion kWh.
Electricity supplies to Poland increased by 24.2% (by 106.4 million kWh), to 546.7 million kWh.
Electricity supplies to Moldova amounted to 130.3 million kWh, which is 51.5% (138.2 million kWh) less than in January-April 2019.
Ukrainian electricity was not exported to Belarus and Russia.
However, electricity exports fell by 60% in April 2020 compared with April 2019 (by 355 million kWh), to 237.9 million kWh.
Thus, Ukraine imported 1.705 billion kWh of electricity, in particular 1.012 billion kWh was supplied from Slovakia, some 408.6 million kWh from Hungary, some 152.3 million kWh from Belarus, some 78.3 million kWh from Romania and some 53.4 million kWh from Russia over the first four months.
In addition, under technological flows related to interconnected operation of the United Energy System of Ukraine with the energy systems of neighboring countries (taken into account under the contracts of state-owned enterprise Energomarket) some 19.25 million kWh of electricity were imported from Russia and some 250,000 million kWh were imported from Belarus over four months of 2020.
Kormotech LLC (Lviv region), a large Ukrainian manufacturer of cat and dog feed, has signed a three-year contract with the Norwegian online store Dyrekassen on the supply of a pet ration. According to a press release of Kormotech, through the Dyrekassen online store, an exclusive distributor, the company plans to sell 18 tonnes of feed by the end of 2020. It is planned to sell another 100 tonnes of products over the next two years.
Together with a new partner, Kormotech is also working to ensure that after lockdown Optimeal rations are sold in garden centers in Norway and Sweden. This is about 220 stores.
The company said that these are dry and wet rations for cats and dogs under the Optimeal brand in the super premium segment. They are made according to the Swiss fresh meat technology.
Kormotech said that Norway has become the 29th pet export country.
“We are actively working to enter export markets throughout Scandinavia. These are countries with very high quality requirements for products. We have overcome similar complexity procedures to enter the U.S. and UK markets. Kormotech is on the way to getting into the top five world manufacturers of pet feed,” the company said, citing CEO of Kormotech Rostyslav Vovk.
Kormotech LLC is the leading Ukrainian producer of feed for cats and dogs. The company exports products to 29 countries, including the United States, Great Britain, Germany, France, Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Poland, Turkey, Iran and Chile.
The ultimate beneficiaries of Kormotech are Olena and Rostyslav Vovk.
Ukraine in January-March 2020 increased its electricity exports by 33% or 548.9 million kWh year-over-year, to 2.211 billion kWh, the Energy and Environmental Protection Ministry of Ukraine has told Interfax-Ukraine.
Electricity supplies from the Burshtyn TPP energy island to Hungary, Slovakia, and Romania rose by 57.9%, to 1.622 billion kWh.
Exports to Poland grew by 11.9%, to 459.2 million kWh.
Exports to Moldova fell by 42.1%, to 130.3 million kWh.
Ukrainian electricity was not exported to Belarus or Russia in 2018 or 2019.
Ukraine imported 1.554 billion kWh of electricity in January-March 2020, including 909 million kWh from Slovakia, 371.8 million kWh from Hungary, 149.6 million kWh from Belarus, 70.2 million kWh from Romania, and 53.4 million kWh from the Russian Federation.
Due to crossflows related to the parallel work of the Integrated Power System (IPS) in Ukraine and systems in bordering countries (accounted for under contracts signed by Energomarket), Ukraine imported 14.5 million kWh of energy from Russia and 200,000 kWh from Belarus.
The dynamics of wheat exports is within the “safe” corridor agreed in the memorandum, in particular, as of April 6 wheat exports amounted to 17.9 million tonnes, the Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture of Ukraine has reported.
According to the annex to the memorandum between the Economy Ministry and the market participants signed on March 30, the maximum volume of wheat exports in the current marketing season (MY, July-June) was set at 20.2 million tonnes.
“Thus, during April-June 2020 some 2.3 million tonnes remain available for export,” the ministry said on its website.
The ministry noted that the pace of wheat supplies in April slowed down. The average daily shipment of wheat supplies in April was 14,000 tonnes, while in March it was 44,000 tonnes.
According to the ministry, in the 2018/2019 MY some 28.3 million tonnes were produced, domestic consumption was 8.2 million tonnes, ending stock stood at 1.7 million tonnes.
