Daily monitor

According to a note from the State Property Fund of Ukraine (SPF), the annual privatization plan in 1H09 is 94.2% below target, with UAH 501.5 mln ( USD 65.8 mln) collected so far. Specifically, in January-May, the SPF collected UAH 493.1 mln (USD 64.5 mln).

According to a note from the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU), the balance of payments deficit grew slightly in May by USD 275 mln and reached USD 6.556 bln in January-May.

Kryukiv Railcar [KVBZ UZ, U/R], in June began producing new bogies with a 25-ton per axle load capacity. According to a company press release, the new models, 18-9817 and 18-7033, utilize new technology that was developed together with US Amsted Rail Corporation. The new bogies’ improved load capacity has undergone certification and testing on a new gondola produced by KVBZ.

Interfax-Ukraine and Ukrainian News reported on production volumes of Ukraine’s Metallurgy & Mining Complex. The data is preliminary, and often differs slightly from the numbers that will become available in a few days.

The Ukrainian parliament has passed amendments to the law on the National Budget requiring the National Bank of Ukraine to transfer UAH 9.8 bln (USD 1.3 bln) of profits to the State Budget.

According to a note from the Ministry of Finance, the state budget showed a UAH 2.7 bln (USD 35.4 mln) deficit in January-May 2009. Specifically, in May alone the deficit grew by only 0.4%.

Ukraine exported 24.7 mln mt of grain in the 2008/09 marketing year. In particular, Ukraine exported 12.6 mln mt of wheat, 6.3 mln mt of barley and 5.4 mlm mt of corn. Earlier, Mr. Melnik, the Minister of Agriculture, estimated Ukraine’s exports at 25 – 26 mln mt of grain in the 2008/09 marketing year.

According to a note released by the State Statistics Committee of Ukraine, the country’s GDP fell 20.3% YoY in 1Q09.

The EBRD will consider an injection of EUR 30 mln into Milkiland at its Board of directors meeting on July 28, 2009. The EBRD would do so through the purchase of a stake in the company. Milkiland will use the funds for further modernization and for restructuring the company’s liabilities.

As of June 30, 2009, Ukraine harvested a total 1.5 mln mt of grain with an average yield of 2.46 mt per ha (-6.8% YoY). According to a press release posted by the State Statistics Committee, farmers in Crimea as well as Odesa, Mykolayiv, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Luhansk, Poltava, Kirovograd, Zaporizhzhya and Kyiv Regions have started their harvesting campaign.