Daily monitor

syndicated bank loan of $ 40 million, aimed at refinancing the company-owned grain terminal in Illichevsk. A week earlier the company announced a repayment of short-term loan of $ 50 million, received for financing the terminal. Several weeks ago, trading company "Kernel-Trade" attracted a syndicated term loan of $ 170 million to finance operations at the interest rate (Libor + 5,0%) / 0,98.

Shareholders the largest Ukrainian poultry producer, Myronivsky Hliboproduсt [MHPC LI] during extraordinary shareholder meeting on October 5 decided to buy back 2.5% shares from the market. The buy-back program will endure 1 year from the date of adoption. Shares will be purchased at market price, but in the range of 1-15 dollars per 1 share.

According to an interview to business newspaper Kommersant-Ukraine, Mr. Viktor Chaban – VP of Energy Standard, which controls Zaporizhtransformator [ZATR UZ, N/R] – the world's largest manufacturer of transformer equipment, the company estimates it’s transformators output at level of 40 thds. MWA in 2009.

According to an interview to business newspaper Kommersant-Ukraine, Mr. Viktor Chaban, VP of Energy Standard, which controls Sumy Frunze Machine Building [SMASH UZ, N/R], one of largest European producers of equipment for the oil, gas, and chemical industries, the company estimates revenue growth of 10% in USD equivalent in 2009. The reduction of this forecast from 30% is related to energy equipment consumers' postponing their projects.

Next year sugar shortage may hit 40% in 2010 in the Ukrainian domestic market. The reasons are the reduction of crops, reducing the quality and yield of beets, and hence the shortage of sugar. Processing this year's harvest will yield no more than 1,3 million tons of sugar, while the market demand is estimated to be 2-2,2 million tons.

Naftogaz has serviced the interest on its $500m Eurobonds while the group of aggressive bondholders (represented by Corlbrow) finally agreed to vote for the restructuring at a bondholders meeting.

Lutskiy automobile plant [LUAZ UZ, U/R], which belongs to “Bohdan” corporation, decreased output by 21.5%MoM or on 399 vehicles, to 1456 units in comparison with the previous month. In the first 8 months of 2009 production drop by 81.95% to 10994 cars.

The Constitutional Court declared the government's decision approving a list of the 99 coal mines to be privatized in 2009 to be unconstitutional. The court found the decision to sell the mines not to be privatizational, and in fact that the Cabinet’s decree violated the process of privatization. Earlier the Cabinet had planned to privatize 99 coal mines in 2009. They planned to sell the mines in 3 stages: 50, 39 and 10 mines. The funds realized was planned to be allocated at the special fund of the Ministry of Coal Industry.

The National Communications Regulation Commission (NCRC) announced the date of the UMTS (3G) license sale for the 25MHz bandwidth channel. The tender will take place on November 30. The opening bid the for license will be UAH 400 mln (USD 47 mln.), with bid increments of UAH 20 mln. (USD 2.4 mln.).

The Ministry of Agricultural Policy forecasts an increase in grain crops (including corn) in 2013 to 51 million tons, up 20% over the current 2009FY harvest of 42.565 million tons. Gross harvest in 2010 is projected at 43.5 million tons. By the end of this year 11 million tons of sugar beet will be harvested. In 2010 gross production of this crop is planned at 15 million tons and 2013, 16 million tons.