•Five well-known international companies are in the running for a tender to reconstruct the sea approach canal and internal water approaches to the deep-water berths at the Odesa region Port of Yuzhne, Interfax Ukraine reported. Two are based on Belgium, two in the Netherlands and one in China. The auction to select the contractor is scheduled for May 3.

•Teaming with the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority will hold Port Infrastructure Development Day on April 4 and make presentations on assorted port projects to engineering and construction companies from Ukraine and abroad.

•The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development plans to invest between $150 million and $200 million in Ukrainian agriculture this year, the Agricultural Ministry announced, according to Interfax Ukraine. The EBRD intends to support diversification of the Ukrainian ag sector and attainment of a higher level of development.

•Russia's Sberbank announced the sale of its subsidiary in Ukraine to a consortium of investors made up of Latvia’s Norvik Banka and a private Belarusian stakeholder, according to various news outlets. The contract for the sale was signed Monday.

•January imports of passenger cars grew 85 percent, and the average cost of an imported foreign car in Ukraine decreased from $17,200 to $13,700, Ukrinform reported. Also, in the January-March period, 548 electric vehicles and 219 hybrid vehicles were registered in Ukraine. Experts predict that 3,000 electric and hybrid vehicles will be registered this year.

•Ukraine and Moldova signed deals with two Caucasus countries leading to the establishment of a free-trade area in all four countries, multiple news outlets reported. The agreement is expected to deepen cooperation among the so-called GUAM countries: Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova.

•Ukrzaliznytsia has lost 226 diesel locomotives and 68 electric locomotives in separatist-held areas of the Donbas. In addition, it has lost 29,375 freight cars and 520 passenger railroad cars that were left there, the company told Interfax-Ukraine.

•DTEK plans to invest in the construction of solar power plants, CEO Maxim Timchenko said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine. He said the initial project will be a 10-megawatt solar power plant in Kherson region. The decision comes on the heels of the announcement that unspecified investors are planning to build a solar array of their own in the Kherson region.

•An IMF technical mission on tax policy wrapped up its work in Ukraine as part of a two-week visit, according to the Finance Ministry and multiple news reports.

•Ukraine and Moldova plan to apply to the European Commission within a month with a proposal to study Ukraine's plans to build new hydroelectric power plants on the Dniester River, Prime Minister of Moldova Pavel Filip has said.

•German company Andritz Hydro is spearheading a $60 million renovation of the Dnieper-1 hydroelectric plant, Ukrinform reported, citing Die Presse. The contract Andritz signed with Ukrgidroenergo in late 2016 calls for a complete reconstruction of the aging facility.

•Over an 11-year period from 2005 through 2016, Ukrainian milk production has been reduced by a quarter, and the number of dairy cattle has dropped 45 percent, Ukrinform reported.

For comments and news tips, please email UBJ AM editor David Edwards at david.edwards@theubj.com.