KIEV, March 2 – Poland's Central European Distribution Corporation (CEDC) is ready to consider a proposal to buy Nemiroff, a large Ukrainian alcohol producer, although the corporation would only sign the deal if it makes sense financially, according to CEDC CEO William Carey.

KIEV, March 2 - Most of Ukraine's steel majors boosted finished roll production in January-February.

ArcelorMittal Kryviy Rih (formerly Kryvorizhstal), the country's biggest steel mill, raised finished roll production by a preliminary 18.4% year-on-year to 804,000 tons, the company told Interfax.

MOSCOW, Feb. 27 - Standard & Poor's lowered its foreign currency long-term corporate credit rating on Ukrainian steel producer Azovstal Iron and Steel Works to 'CCC+' from 'B' and its local currency long-term corporate credit rating to 'B-' from 'B' and removed them from CreditWatch following its downgrade of the sovereign rating on Ukraine.

KIEV, March 2 – The Ukrspyrt state concern expects to introduce biogas production technologies at 38 domestic distilleries in 2009-2011, according to an Ukrspyrt press release issued on February 27.

KIEV, March 2 – The Ukrmiaso national association of meat producers forecasts a mass closure of domestic meat processing companies in 2009 due to a lack of funds and raw materials, an association board member, Ivan Hrod, told Interfax-Ukraine.

"We expect that by the end of the year, around 50% of companies will close," he said.

KIEV, March 2 – A fall in foreign payments on earlier taken loans promoted a fall in the foreign debt of private sector borrowers in Ukraine in January, by $1.5 billion or 1.6%, to $87.7 billion, according to the National Bank of Ukraine.

KIEV, Feb. 29 - Ukraine's joining the World Trade Organization could lead complications in the access of small agricultural companies to banking credits, according to Kiev-based Financial Initiative Bank Board Chairman Andriy Tsyktor.

KIEV, Feb. 29 - The surplus of the Ukrainian national budget in January 2008 was UAH1.86 billion, down from UAH2.585 billion in January 2007, according to a posting on the official Web site of the Economy Ministry, referring to data from the State Treasury.

KIEV, Feb. 28 - The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development will provide a 150 million euro loan to improve quality and reliability of Ukraine’s power generation and transmission, according to an agreement signed Thursday.

KIEV, Feb. 29 – UkrNafta, Ukraine’s second-largest producer of natural gas, plans to suspend gas extraction from more than a hundred wells on Monday following a dispute with the government over prices the company is allowed to charge.