Borys V. Silenkov

Chairman Kherson Regional State Administration

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, friends!

I welcome all readers and participants of Almanac «Business Image of Ukraine. Achievements. Recognition» with great pleasure.

I am pleasant to tell about Kherson Regions, its prominent collectives and bright personalities of labour today on the pages of this edition.

I offer to you to acquaint with unique land located in the lower part of the mighty Dnieper River. Kherson Region owns powerful agrotechnical and industrial potential. The leading role in forming of regional production structure is played by agricultural production; the industrial basis is made by ship repair, ship- and machine-building, including science efficiency electrical engineering and instrument-making sectors, fuel and energy production, and also glass, woodworking, cellulose-paper, light and food industry.

The region situated on crossing of ways passed by tribes during many centuries and afterwards formed people on the territory of present Western Europe and South Asia attracts attention of lovers of ancient time by rich historical past as well as tourists – recreational zones – preserves and resorts.

Favourable geographical position, developed communications network enable region to set business cooperation with all interesting in.

The agrarians, mechanization experts and viticulturists, dockers and machine-builders, a number of collectives actively and creatively enrich Tavria land by daily work. Today we name and consider those heroes showing energy, initiative, enterprise, capability of effectively and high-quality working in present conditions. The Olympus of regional labour elite belongs to those living by care of people and enterprises and roots for their future first of all.

Yours sincerely,

Borys Silenkov      

Nature generously granted Kherson land. By its natural and climatic conditions Kherson land belongs to the most land of plenty of the world. The bowels of the earth of Kherson land are rich, in particular in cement and brick-tile clays, marl, limestone, salt, peat and gas. On the south the region borders upon Crimean Autonomous Republic, on the east – Zaporizhzhya, on the north-west – Mykolayiv and on the north – Dnipropetrovs'k regions of Ukraine. From the north to the south glorious Dnieper passes Kherson Region. Quiet flow of the ancient Slavuta, its picturesque back-waters underline beauty and originality of this land. However, except for beauty, it is great opportunities for development of navigation and trading relations with the whole world yet.

Kherson Region is washed by Black Sea and Sea of Azov, and also Lake Sivash. The low sand islands, peninsulas and spits, most of it are Dzharylgach, peninsula Yagorlitsky Kut, spits Tendrivska, Arabatska Strilka and Kinburnsk stretch along a seashore (and it is over 200 km). By amount of sun days Kherson Region does not yield to Crimea.

The region has everything for intensive development of tourist industry. The Dzharylgach Island is the biggest uninhabited island of the Central Europe. The wonderful sand beach with the length almost 50 km, sun, light, blue sea and dolphins attract tourists. The Kinburnsk spit is the real forgotten world in the center of Europe. Here there are practically no signs of civilization. It is paradise for ecological tourists and hunters. The Dnieper-Bug estuary is no less attractive which waters have so many fish. Besides Kherson Region is the acknowledged health-resort for children and adults. Air of Kherson land is saturated with aromas of steppe herbages, flowering gardens, salt sea-breezes with ions of bromine and iodine.

The pearl of steppe land is Friedrich Falz-Fein Biosphere Reserve «Askaniya-Nova». The primordial piece of ancient as eternity of steppe remained on the area of 11 054 ha. The exotic flora and fauna of this reserve is represented by 3800 breeds, which overwhelming part is delivered from South America, Africa and Asia.

Kherson Region has the powerful highly developed diversifyed industry: food and processing, machine-building, chemical and petrochemical, cellulose-paper and printing industry, light, metallurgy and metalworking, production of oil refining wares, wood and wood wares, other non-metal mineral wares and others. One of the priority directions of industry development is an increase of competitiveness of regional companies and it products. The food and processing industry plays leading role in attraction of direct foreign investments in industrial complex.

One of the oldest enterprises of Kherson Region is OJSC «Khersonski kombayny». The enterprise started its activity in 1887 from manufacturing of hand ploughs, harrows and sewers. The maize combine harvesters produced by Kherson harvester machine builders successfully operate in four continents of the world today. The mass production of the first Ukrainian combine self-propelled harvester КЗС-9-1 «Slavutych» and maize combine harvester «Khersonets-200», sprinkling systems were mastered and others.

OJSC «Kakhovka Plant of Electric Welding Equipment» is one of the biggest in Ukraine and CIS production and engineering company for planning, manufacturing, complex supply and technical service of reliable and modern electric welding equipment. The enterprise produces over 60 different types of welding equipment. The stationary and suspended rail welding and pipe welding machines which by many parameters exceed best foreign analogues have special demand and successfully operate in enterprises of 76 countries of the world.

The high-quality commodities of folk consumption are made by CJSC «Krasen» – the modern specialized enterprise of light industry. It is specialized on sewing of outerwear: suits, coats, wool and semi-wool men's and women's trousers. The basic market of production sale is Ukraine (Kyiv, Mykolayiv, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovs'k, Nikopol and other cities). The collective of the enterprise introduces new technologies of cloth sewing, constantly designs new modern models, purchases fabrics of new structures and colours.

Now the quality system certificated by international standards functions in the leading regional industrial enterprises, in particular OJSC «Kherson Electric Machine-Building Plant», Mechanical Works Ltd, OJSC «Plant «Ukrgidromekh», PBE «Prombiznes-Avto», CJSC «Plant of Electric Machines», OJSC «Kherson Shipbuilding Yard», OJSC «Agroindustrial Firm «Tavriya», OJSC «Kakhovka Plant of Electric Welding Equipment» and Car Assembly Plant «Anto-Rus» Ltd.

It is important that Kherson Region has a powerful transport system: rail, marine, river, motor-car and aviation. Powerful transport streams of countries of the Near East and Balkan are formed here towards Mariupol, Novoazovska and also through black sea ports to Russia, countries of Caucasus and East.

The important place in forming of regional production structure belongs to agricultural production also. The best companies in regional agrarian complex are OJSC «Agroindustrial Firm «Tavriya», Agricultural Farm «Collective Farm «Bilozersky» etc.

The consumer market of Kherson Region is characterized as stable and saturated with commodities of public consumption. The human demand on commodities of public consumption is satisfied by more than 9 000 objects of retail trade of all forms of property. It is important that their amount annually grows. The sign line of today is expansion of network of modern supermarkets. Trading House «City product» Ltd (supermarket «Alf»), CJSC «Kherson Wholesale Trading House-97» (network of supermarkets «Oscar») and network of shops of Strumok Ltd and MKP «Prozerpina» successfully work in this direction competing with each other on internal market. These enterprises have wide range of food stuffs, which overwhelming majority is products of domestic commodity producers. Moderate prices, rapid and high culture of service attract customers. Popular among buyers are also shops for sale of complex appliances: «Foxtrot», «Svit pobutovoyi tehniky» and «ABC-tehnika». With the purpose to extend sales volumes of commodities of local producers, setting of stable inter-economic relations, expansion of sales market of commodities and revival of trading process in regional cities and districts the regular conducting of exhibitions-fairs, exhibitions-sales of consumer goods of domestic and local commodity producers is introduced. Due to conducting these and other measures for support of domestic commodity producers the region successfully provides re-orientation of trading sphere into sale of their products, as a result the enterprises of the organized trade have significant share of commodities of domestic producers – 74,8%, including food stuffs – 95,4% and non-food – 65,8%. It brightly proves substantial increase of quality of commodities of the Ukrainian origin.

The ways of increase of sale of commodities of local production in the regional trading network are subsequent development of the firm trade and its effective use, expansion of production range and improvement of its quality. Over 300 objects of the firm trade function in the region. Great attention to development of firm network is paid by CJSC «Kherson Confectionary Factory», OJSC «Kherson Bread-Baking Complex», Agricultural Firm «Progress», CJSC «Milk Plant «Rodych» and SPE «Tavriya».

The important place in the field of trade belongs to the food and merchandise markets. Today they obtained the status of large objects of trade. Almost 70 markets for sale of consumer goods operate in the region; they are officially registered by local bodies of power and placed in the special allocated places where over 28 000 trading places are concentrated.

The purpose of activity of executive bodies of the regional power is creation of favourable environment and climate for development of innovation strategy in the region and achievement of positive changes in such important social-economic questions as development of small and medium business.

Activation of economic activity, increase of labour pensions and wages in budgetary and private spheres have positively influenced on increasing money profits of population. It is kept the tendency to growth of birth-rate. All of it grounds to look forward with optimism.