KIEV, July 30 – The Ukrainian cabinet has agreed to a proposal of the Agriculture Ministry and permitted National JSC Ukragroleasing to raise two credits worth $300 million each from Export Development Canada, secured by the state, to realize investment projects in the farming sector.

KIEV, July 30 - The government has decided to sell controlling stakes in 15 regional power distributing companies, Dmytro Parfemenko, the acting head of the State Property Fund, said Thursday.

LONDON/MOSCOW, July 29 - Fitch Ratings has affirmed Metinvest B.V.'s Long-term
foreign currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) at 'B' with a Negative Outlook.

The rating is constrained by Ukraine's Country Ceiling of 'B'. At the same time, Fitch has affirmed Metinvest's Long-term local currency IDR at 'B+' with a Stable Outlook.

KIEV, July 29 – The appropriateness of restructuring Naftogaz Ukrayiny's foreign debt is being considered, Deputy Finance Minister Andriy Kravets told Interfax-Ukraine.

"It's too early to speak about any restructuring – the issue is under consideration," he said.

KIEV, July 29 – Vorskla Steel has signed a contract worth EUR 6.81 million under which 170 hectares of land in Hungary is to be allocated for the construction of a EUR 650 million metal-rolling mill, whose major investor is Ukrainian businessman Kostiantyn Zhevago, Hungarian mass media reported.

KIEV, July 29 – The Finance Ministry has said that it is inexpedient to capitalize Ukrprombank using state funds and agrees with the National Bank of Ukraine on the movement of deposits of individuals in Ukrprombank to the State Savings Bank of Ukraine (Oschadbank), the acting finance minister, Ihor Umansky, told the press on Wednesday.

KIEV, July 30 - Donetsk-based Donbass Fuel-Energy Company (DTEK) is to conduct an IPO only as a holding that unites companies that form a vertically integrated chain for coal extraction and enrichment, electricity generation, distribution and supply.

KIEV, July 30 – SigmaBleyzer Investment Company is merging Cyprus-based Aquorn Limited and Oisiw Limited, which manage Kiev-based Volia-Cable and a number of regional cable companies, into Volia Limited, according to a Tuesday press release of SigmaBleyzer.

KIEV, July 30 – Coal extraction at Pavlogradugol and Komsomolets Donbassa Mine in 2008 could be around 18 million tons, exceeding the business plan target by 1.4 million tons, according to Vitaliy Butenko, Chief Strategy Officer at Donetsk-based Donbass Fuel-Energy Company (DTEK).

KIEV, July 27 – The state land resources agency has presented its forecast of farmland prices for the start of the farmland market in Ukraine, and said that the price of one hectare of farmland will be between UAH10,000 and UAH12,000 on average.