Daily monitor

Ukraine’s spring sowing campaign is gaining momentum. According to an official press release made by the Ministry of Agriculture, agrarians have sown a total 4.4 mln ha, or 96% of the planned area, with early spring crops.

According to the 2008 annual report, the financial situation at Donetsk Metal Rolling [DMPZ UZ, SELL] is very difficult.

Yasynivka Coke [YASK UZ, U/R] signed a credit line agreement with Sberbank (Ukraine) at the end of March.

According to the Interfax agency, the Ukrainian subsidiary of Russia’s Sberbank is opening a floating line of credit for Azovmash, which is valued at USD 17.2 mln.

Kryukiv Railcar [KVBZ UZ, U/R], based in Kremenchug (Poltava Region), has fulfilled a contract for the supply of 200 special platforms to Latvia, according to the company’s press service.

According to a press release issued by the Bogdan Automobile Plant [LUAZ UZ, U/R], the company decreased production by 68% YoY to 6,063 cars in 1Q2009. In March, production dropped by 27.9% MoM to 2,031 cars, of which 794 cars were made as SKD assembly and 1,237 as CKD assembly.

The Arterium Corporation, which unites the Lviv-based Halychfarm company and the Kyiv-based Kyivmedpreparat, has announced that it will meet GMP requirements by 2011..

Electricity consumption in Ukraine in January-March 2009 dropped 12.7% YoY to 45.9 TWh. Net electricity consumption in the country in this three months fell by 14.5% YoY to 35.4 TWh. Notably, in January-February 2009, net electricity consumption saw a considerable 16% YoY decline.

According to a note from the National Bank of Ukraine, the monetary base grew 0.8% MoM in March (a 6.4% decline YTD) and has, therefore, reached UAH 174.8 bln (USD 22.7 bln). At the same time, the money mass shrank 1.5% MoM (10.1% decline YTD), reaching UAH 463.7 bln (USD 6.0 bln).

According to Wilhelm Nüse, a member of Commerzbank Group's regional council for Eastern and Central Europe and the Vice-Chairman of the supervisory council of Forum Bank [FORM UZ, U/R], Commerzbank intends to continue its development in Ukraine and is going to increase FORM’s statutory capital by UAH 500 mln in 2009.