OREANDA-NEWS. December 01, 2010. Investments are an integral part of the global economy. Thanks to investment activity, achievements of scientific and technological progress are realized, changes of the production structure, economic growth rate, and therefore, welfare of the state depends on it.

The key objective of the state policy in the sphere of investment activity is the formation of favorable investment climate. For this purpose, on the 10th -11th of September the IV International Investment Forum was held in Zaporizhzhya city under the auspices of Zaporizhzhya Regional State Administration and with the assistance of Zaporizhzhya Regional Council. The purpose of the event was to stimulate investment activity and promote effective business communication and discussion of issues on mobilization of investment into Zaporizhzhya region.

Within 2 days the forum was accompanied by an exhibition of investment projects. One of these projects that were able to demonstrate a real implementation of Zaporizhzhya region potential at worthy level was patriotic and innovation investment program of “NIBULON” on the revival of the transport infrastructure of the Dnipro and the Southern Bug rivers.

The company was presented by Deputy General Director on Shipping Safety of “NIBULON” A. Volik and Director of Zaporizhzhya branch of “NIBULON” in Kamyanka-Dniprovs’ka town O. Khokhlov. Showcase of the company was not left unattended by the Head of Zaporizhzhya Regional State Administration Boris Petrov and the Head of Zaporizhzhya Regional Council Pavlo Matviyenko, they supported and contributed to the company’s project implementation. Minister of Regional Development and Construction of Ukraine Volodymyr Yatsuba visited the exposition of “NIBULON” at the forum.

Minister of Regional Development and Construction of Ukraine Volodymyr Yatsuba proved willingness of the government to work in accordance with the requirements of potential investors. The official read out greetings from the President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych and wished success to the participants of the forum.

According to Boris Petrov, both invited respectable guests and representatives of foreign businesses have expressed positive feedback from the level of the event: “I can assure that the number of business meetings and established contacts are at a very high level. Regional authorities effectively coordinate the activity of regional structures in the economic and investment processes, quickly solve related to land issues, simplify the licensing procedures and provide complete support of investment projects”.

Among the promising projects submitted by the Head of Regional State Administration are the best practices in such areas as energy, logistics, development of mineral resources etc. In the field of logistics Boris Petrov noted the project of “NIBULON” on the revival of the transport capacity of navigable the Dnipro and the Southern Bug rivers.

Farmers from Zaporizhzhya region since the early days of work of the terminal experienced significant benefits, because prices of agricultural commodities are close to the prices at the transshipment terminal in Mykolayiv, they are about UAH 50-70 per ton higher than on other enterprises in the region. As of today, the transshipment complex has received 95.6 thousand tons of agricultural products.

Agricultural producers of Zaporizhzhya region soon may lose such a lucrative opportunity – the terminal in Kamyanka-Dniprovs’ka town stopped taking grains because it is overfilled as well as the other elevators of “NIBULON”. Unfortunately, such situation evolved, that it is impossible to move the grain in order to bring it to stable storage in autumn and winter period.

As of today, all elevator capacities are full, and even all the non-self-propelled vessels of “NIBULON”, that are located next to the transshipment terminal in Mykolayiv city, are filled with grain. These vessels are not adjusted to the storage of grain unlike the elevator capacities. That is why the transshipment terminal workers every day have to carry out grain aeration and even moving it from one non-self-propelled vessel to another.

It is complicated to tell and explain employees of the terminal, why, with such amounts of grain we can not export it!

It is important to note that neither the Ministry of Agrarian Policy of Ukraine, nor “Derzhkontrolsilhospprod” does not even want to make a commission on the review of applications for licenses for exports of certain agricultural products and quota allocation information about the number of grains that are in the non-self-propelled vessels. In this regard, this amount of grain is not confirmed for quotas.

There are two ways out of this situation. The first one is to take the grain back to the place where it was brought from. And the second is to wait when the capacities of the terminal will be empty and grain can be unloaded at the transshipment terminal.

“NIBULON” did a great job: it has constructed its own fleet, it is constructing tugs, it has built and continues to build elevators. But for the one wrong decision transportation along the Dnipro River was stopped! Nobody needs fleet.

It will be complicated to explain workers of shipyard, why we can not construct vessels anymore, and, unfortunately, they are forced to remain unemployed.

The company hopes that soon support will be real: the Ministry of Agricultural Policy will reject bureaucratic obstacles and help constructively to the enterprise. Recently there was a great deal of talk about reconstruction of logistics. Unfortunately, there are a lot of conversations, but in reality ...

We believe this is temporary. Our company has confronted with worse difficulties during 19 years of work.

We hope that common sense will prevail.

The company, whose patriotic investment program promotes the development of many industries and different regions of Ukraine and employs more than 150 construction companies and more than 15 thousand people can not stay alone with this problem without the help and support primarily from the Ministry of Agriculture and the state.