Cardboard and Paper Company LLC (Lviv), a major Ukrainian manufacturer of cardboard tubes and sanitary and hygienic products, increased production by 43.3% in January-May compared to the same period in 2021 – to UAH 403.7 million.
According to the statistics of the UkrPapir association provided to the Interfax-Ukraine agency, in natural terms, over this period, the company increased the production of paper – the basis for sanitary and hygienic products – by 16.1%, to 26.4 million tonnes, while increasing the production of toilet paper in rolls by 66.4% – to 1.8 million pieces.
At the same time, the output of cardboard products decreased by 4.8% – to 10.43 million tonnes.
According to the statistics of UkrPapir, the factory continued to work all months since the beginning of the year, reducing the production of paper and cardboard in March, but in April and May it already increased their production by 16.4% and 6.7%, respectively (compared to the same months last year).
Cardboard and Paper Company (until 2011 – Lvivkartonoplast) produces goods and semi-finished products from recycled cardboard (cardboard sheets, corners, tubes) and cellulose paper (toilet paper, towels, napkins of White Line and Papero trademarks).
In 2021, the company produced products worth UAH 782.7 million, which is 46.7% more than in 2020.
In January-May 2022, Ukraine produced 7.831 billion cubic meters of natural gas, which is 1.9% more than in the same period last year (7.687 billion cubic meters), according to the infographics of the Energy Suppliers Association (ESA).
According to it, the average daily gas production in May increased by 1% compared to April, but is still below the pre-war production of this year. In particular, in January this figure was 55.4 million cubic meters per day, in February – 54.5 million cubic meters, in March – 49.9 million cubic meters, in April – 49.6 million cubic meters, and in May – 50.1 million cubic meters.
At the same time, according to the association, in May a number of private companies managed to bring gas production to a double level.
According to the association, amid Russian military aggression, gas consumption in the country continues to decline, which amounted to 11.726 billion cubic meters in the first five months of this year. In particular, in January 2022 it amounted to 3.972 billion cubic meters (less by 4% compared to January 2021), February – 2.822 billion cubic meters (less by 34%), March – 2.735 billion cubic meters (less by 24%), April – 1.483 billion cubic meters (less by 33%), and May – 0.714 billion cubic meters (less by 46%).
Earlier, the Cabinet of Ministers instructed NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy to increase gas reserves in underground storage facilities (UGS) to 19 billion cubic meters at the beginning of the heating season 2022-2023, while 10 billion cubic meters on June 1, 2022.
While maintaining consumption of about 25 million cubic meters per day and production of about 50 million cubic meters per day during June-September, Ukraine will be able to replenish stocks in storage facilities during this period by 3 billion cubic meters, while up to 6 billion cubic meters of gas will be needed to import. Some of these volumes can be brought into UGS facilities for their storage by foreign companies.
At the same time, the head of the Energy Committee of the Verkhovna Rada, Andriy Gerus, specified in early June that plans for 19 billion cubic meters in storage could be adjusted depending on a number of factors.
ESA, GAS, PRODUCTION
PJSC ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih (Dnipropetrovsk region) is gradually restoring production after a forced shutdown in March this year.
According to the company, during the visit to the enterprise, head of Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration Valentyn Reznichenko, chairman of Dnipropetrovsk regional council Mykola Lukashuk and head of Kryvy Rih military administration Oleksandr Vilkul discussed the restart of metallurgical production.
At the same time, it was stated that one blast furnace, two coke oven batteries, three pouring machines, a rolling mill, a converter and one of the three continuous casting machines are currently operating at the enterprise.
“One of the largest mining and metallurgical plants, ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih, resumes work. It is still a long way before the launch of all capacities, but the company has embarked on this path. The company is building new logistics and looking for new sales markets. Thousands of employees of the plant have a salary, and the budget – taxes,” the head of Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration said.
Vilkul, in turn, stated that important production facilities had resumed work in the industrial sector over the past two weeks.
Serhiy Lavrynenko, Deputy General Director for Metallurgical Production at ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih, added that thanks to the support of the parent company ArcelorMittal, the government of Ukraine, Ukrzaliznytsia managed to restore part of the production operations at ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih.
“We are optimistic… We hope to arrange coal supplies in sufficient quantities to restart another blast furnace in the near future, and then increase the level of rolled products production,” Lavrynenko said.
At the same time, it is recalled that in early March, the company’s management decided to stop all blast furnaces of the enterprise and the processes of metallurgical production. The coking plant is now in a state of hot downtime – this is a necessary measure to avoid causing irreparable damage to the equipment. The work of the mining department did not stop after the Russian invasion, although the level of ore production was reduced due to interruptions in the operation of logistics routes and the shutdown of blast furnaces, the company said.
However, since April, the plant has been gradually resuming production processes. The restart began with the return to operation of blast furnace No. 6, it resumed operation on April 9.
The agricultural holding KSG Agro has signed a contract with a Ukrainian oil extraction plant for production of sunflower and soybean oil from its raw materials with subsequent export of finished products to the European Union, according to a press release from the agrarian group on Thursday.
“Our military realities are pushing for the search for new strategic solutions. So we decided that rapeseed and sunflower seeds will be processed, since there are more chances to sell such products abroad in the form of the same vegetable oil, ready for consumption, at a better price than just sunflower seeds,” KSG Agro quotes its board chairman Serhiy Kasyanov.
He recalled that the blockade of Ukrainian seaports due to Russian military aggression makes traditional supply chains and export supplies of grain and oilseed agricultural products impossible.
It is specified that the refinement and packaging of vegetable oil will be carried out in the EU countries, and relevant negotiations are currently underway with European partners.
Sunflower and soybean oil from Ukraine to Europe will be transported by trucks, for which KSG Agro has already purchased flexitank containers in Turkey, which will allow transporting 22-24 tonnes of oil in conventional trucks.
The vertically integrated holding KSG Agro is engaged in pig breeding, as well as production, storage, processing and sale of grains and oilseeds. Its land bank is about 21,000 hectares.
According to the agricultural holding itself, it is among the top five pork producers in Ukraine.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has supported a bill on the use of medical cannabis preparations for the treatment of certain diseases, Minister of Health of Ukraine Viktor Lyashko said on his Facebook page.
“We have prepared a legislative framework to ensure the full production cycle of cannabis-based drugs in Ukraine: from cultivation and processing to full-fledged production,” Lyashko said.
He also noted that cannabis medicines should not be identified with narcotic substances, since they do not have a psychoactive effect, and the measures for regulating their circulation are different.
“Medical” cannabis contains cannabidiol, which does not have a pronounced psychoactive effect, so it is not interesting for recreational use. At the same time, we still propose to establish strict control over the cultivation, production and sale of drugs, understanding the sensitivity of this issue in society,” Lyashko explained.
Cannabis-based preparations are used to reduce pain, muscle spasms and cramps, treat anorexia, PTSD and anxiety disorders. In addition, they are used in the treatment of certain types of epilepsy, glaucoma, psoriasis, parkinsonism, and multiple sclerosis. An important task of this medicine is to alleviate pain and suffering for seriously ill and palliative patients, including cancer patients, patients with HIV.
The Ukrainian company, HF Agro LLC (Kharkiv), has launched new production lines in the south of Poland, having established a full cycle of production of Gekon disc harrows, the company’s website reported on Tuesday.
“Poland is a large and competitive market. In addition, it is possible to establish exports to other EU countries through it. The launch of a new production site will improve work on the European market and increase the competitiveness of products,” the company said in a statement.
The manufacturer noted that the new line of Gekon disc harrows does not require periodic maintenance due to the sealing of bearing units, which saves time for its users.
HF Agro is an agricultural machinery brand created in 2020 by Roman Hirshfeld, who previously held the position of president for production of tillage equipment of the agricultural equipment manufacturer Lozova Machinery.
The brand’s product line includes reversible plows, disc, tooth, rotary and loop harrows, subsoilers and slot cutters, field cultivators and seedbed preparation units. The product range also includes a large selection of spreaders, applicators for liquid fertilizers and ammonia, grain packers and unloaders, field rollers for soil compaction before and after sowing.
