2.4. UKRAINIAN FOREIGN TRADE BY REGIONS

In January-October 2000, the following Ukrainian regions reported decrease in commodities’ foreign trade turnover compared to the respective period of 1999: Chernigov region (-42.6%), Kharkov region (-21%), Khmelnitsk region (-11.7%), and Ternopol region (-12%). Besides, narrowed export turnover was registered in the city of Sevastopol (-53.2%), the city of Kiev (-5.6%), Khmelnitsk region (-13.3%), Kharkov region (-2.1%), Ternopol region (-1.1%), and Odessa region (-7.1%). Narrowed import turnover was traced in Chernigov region (-56.8%), Vinnitsa region (-7%), Ternopol region (-3.2%), Kharkov region (-30.7%), Khmelnitsk region (-9.2%), and Cherkassy region (-9.3%).

In the period under review, Kiev, Lvov, Kharkov, and Chernigov regions, as well as the city of Kiev indicated unfavorable trade balance.

By the volume of commodities’ foreign trade turnover, Ukrainian regions can be divided into 4 groups:

1) over USD 1 bln. (Dnepropetrvsk, Donetsk, Zaporozhje, and Lugansk regions, as well as the city of Kiev). These regions provide about 70% of the total Ukrainian trade turnover;

2) from USD 500 mln. to USD 1 bln. (Kharkov, Poltava, Odessa, Lvov, and Nikolaev regions). These regions contribute over 15% to the total Ukrainian foreign trade turnover;

3) from USD 200 mln. to USD 500 mln. – predominantly agricultural regions (Vinnitsa, Sumy, Cherkassy, Zakarpatje, and Zhitomir regions) and the AR of Crimea. These regions provide some 10% of the total Ukrainian foreign trade turnover;

4) below USD 200 mln. (the city of Sevastopol, Kirovograd, Ternopol, Khmelnitsk, Rovno, Kherson, and Chernovtsy regions). These regions contribute some 5% of the total Ukrainian foreign trade turnover.

Obvious inequality of foreign trade indicators in Ukrainian regions is a distinctive feature of Ukrainian foreign trade relations. On the one hand, it can be explained by concentration of plants manufacturing either commodity being traditional article for the Ukrainian export in certain Ukrainian regions. On the other hand, this evidences Ukraine possesses weighty unrealized export potential. In particular, in the 10 months of 2000, such powerful industrial region as Kharkov region exported output totally worth USD 257 mln. Then, such traditional agricultural regions as Ternopol, Kirovograd, and Khmelnitskiyregions export 2-4 times less products than Vinnitsa and Cherkassy regions.

For detailed information on the Ukrainian regions use the map: