The unexpected increase in tariffs for rail freight transport is a bad sign for investors who may enter Ukraine, business representatives say.
As the OP President said Ukrmetallurgprom Alexander Kalenkov, Ukrzaliznytsia now, under the guise of martial law, it makes decisions behind the scenes, and is even more ineffective and unpredictable.
“Meanwhile, since 2021, freight tariffs for agricultural products have increased 2 times, for coal ore – 2.5 times, for metals and other goods – by 70%, that is, in developed countries, such an increase occurs within 25 -30 years In our country, it led to the current tariffs. Ukrzaliznytsiaeven taking into account the dollar exchange rate, increased by 25-60%, “he said.
Kalenkov noted that since the summer of 2022, transport volumes Ukrzaliznytsia grew significantly, and the company began to make a profit. This is a prerequisite for reducing freight tariffs by at least 15-20% to stimulate production volumes and, accordingly, provide UZ with more freight and revenue.
A similar opinion was shared by Ksenia Orinchak, executive director of the Ukrainian Association of Mining Enterprises. He emphasized that the unexpected increase in tariffs for rail freight transport is a bad sign for investors who may enter Ukraine. Moreover, there are no objective reasons for raising tariffs – there are only examples of inflated costs, which indicate the ineffectiveness of the company’s management.
“We understand Ukrzaliznytsia and “corruption” are similar words. Therefore, we are asking the Prime Minister and the President of the industry to conduct an audit Ukrzaliznytsiawith the participation of international donors. We are not prepared to pay large salaries to ineffective managers Ukrzaliznytsia“, stressed Orinchak.
In turn, the vice-president of the Union of Chemists of Ukraine Igor Golchenko reminded those present of a recent interview with the head of UZ Evgeniy Lyashchenko, in which he, in particular, said that the increase in tariffs for cargo transportation will allow the company to end the year with a profit.
“That means, we will receive the money, and as a manager, we will report to the government that we are working effectively. And the hostage of all this is the country and the entire business. Will the antimonopoly committee do anything about it? Ukrzaliznytsia very simple: when they earn and run out of money, they just go to the buyer, collect their “harvest” and close the problems they have. But what will happen when Ukrzaliznytsia has to compete with carriers from the European Union if everyone unites?” said Golchenko.
For his part, the President of the All-Ukrainian Union of Building Materials Manufacturers, Konstantin Saliy, noted that if UZ cargo tariffs increase, Ukrainians will have to pay more for building materials and not expecting any discounts.
“If we make Ukraine and Ukrainian business an organism, then so be it Ukrzaliznytsia – this is a very important aorta, and it is clamped all the time, and on purpose. You cannot take money from the pocket of an ordinary Ukrainian who buys goods at high prices. Now most manufacturers save themselves by trying to transfer logistics to other means of transportation. And at the same time, we hear calls for volunteer help all the time. But our ability to provide such assistance to businesses is probably running out, because up to 30% of the workforce is already on the front line, and the cost of production continues to grow,” said Saliy.
Earlier, the Federation of Transport Employers of Ukraine appealed to Prime Minister Denis Shmygal on tariffs Ukrzaliznytsia. They believe that by optimizing UZ costs, it is possible to reduce freight tariffs by 20% of the current level.
We remind you that at Ukrzaliznytsia said that they earned more than 3 billion Hryvnia in six months, but in July and August the company faced a loss in the range of 600-700 million Hryvnia per month.
Source: korrespondent
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