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The year of 2020 was a difficult one for the entire agricultural sector due to drought, pandemic, and quarantine restrictions. Despite all this, Ukraine has reached new export peaks, becoming for a number of products a leading supplier in the EU and world markets. UNIAN has learned which products became an export failure and what markets turned out to be an unexpected discovery.

The Verkhovna Rada adopted the state budget for 2021 with a deficit of 5.5% of GDP, the hryvnia kept strengthening, while entrepreneurs continued their protest action against the introduction of a lockdown and tougher fiscalization – these are the key economic developments of the outgoing week.

Ukraine received EUR 600 million in macro-financial assistance from the European Union, the Cabinet announced the introduction of lockdown from January 8 to 24, while the State Statistics Service announced the acceleration of inflation – these are the main economic developments of the outgoing week.

Ukraine is starting to revive inland water transportation. The Verkhovna Rada has adopted a basic law for inland water transport, which should set the course of strategic development of the industry. However, the depressing state of river navigation makes the revival of the national river economy a real challenge.

The Cabinet of Ministers refused to extend the weekend quarantine, while the Verkhovna Rada passed a law on water transport, postponed for a year the introduction of cash registers mandate for all entrepreneurs, and adopted a package of presidential laws to aid businesses amid coronacrisis.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has promised to support businesses in the face of tougher quarantine bans, the new acting energy chief announced the coming increase in electricity tariffs for households, while the State Statistics Service reported a higher pace of industrial output slide – these are the key economic developments of the outgoing week.

There will be no third record crop in a row: in 2020, Ukraine's harvest this year will be 10 million tonnes lower on year. UNIAN learned how this could affect food prices, as well as how farmers survived this year, and whether it is worth hoping for the better in 2021.

The Cabinet of Ministers appointed a new head of the State Customs Service and promised businesses support in the face of tougher quarantine restrictions, while the State Statistics Service announced a slowdown in the GDP fall – these are the main economic developments of the outgoing week.

The Cabinet of Ministers abandoned the adaptive quarantine model and switched to "weekend quarantine," the State Statistics Service reported a higher pace of inflation, while the national currency continued its slide after a short rebound - these are the key economic developments of the outgoing week.

In the United States, presidential elections are not over yet, but many are already calling Joe Biden Donald Trump's successor. He has already addressed the nation, outlining his future first steps as head of state. UNIAN polled experts on potential prospects awaiting Ukraine with the arrival of a new president across the pond.

The parliament approved at first reading the draft law on the 2021 state budget, the government spoke about a large-scale plan to allow the country to realize its significant potential in 10 years, while the Ministry of Economy announced a slowdown in the economic decline – these are the key economic developments of the first week of November.

State-owned energy giant Naftogaz of Ukraine has raised by a third the gas price for households, the Cabinet of Ministers allocated almost UAH 3 billion for salaries to miners and payments to the unemployed, while the State Treasury announced a fourfold increase in the country's budget deficit - these are the main economic developments in the outgoing week.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky in his annual address to the Verkhovna Rada said that the Ukrainian economy has withstood the blow of the pandemic and will be able to emerge stronger from crisis, the National Bank has kept the key rate at 6%, and the hryvnia has stopped falling – these are the main economic developments of the outgoing week.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has admitted that reintroducing a strict quarantine is possible due to the increase in the COVID-19 incidence. Businesses and experts fearfully await repetition of the spring scenario, which delivered a heavy blow to the economy. The Cabinet has not yet sent a signal that they have learned the lessons of the past and are now able to lead the country through this test with minimal losses.

The government extended the adaptive quarantine until the end of 2020, the IMF upgraded its forecast for the fall of the Ukrainian economy, while Zelensky and Duda agreed to expand economic bilateral cooperation.

Ukraine has signed a number of agreements with the European Union and UK, and introduced new digital services, while the country's international reserves have decreased by almost 9% – these are the key economic developments of the outgoing week.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development worsened the forecast for the fall of the Ukrainian economy in 2020, the State Statistics Service reported an increase in the average salary in August, while gas suppliers further raised gas prices ahead of the heating season – these are the main economic developments of the outgoing week.

Ievgen Khlobystov, Professor at the Department of Ecology of the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Academician at the Academy of Economic Sciences of Ukraine, expert with the Crimean Tatar Resource Center, told UNIAN, how Crimea is turning into a desert, what it has to do with the policy of occupation authorities and what awaits local residents.

Artem Kovalev, head of the subcommittee on river transport at the Parliament's Transport and Infrastructure Committee, ideologist and co-author of a high-profile bill on inland water transport, which is expected to revolutionize the national transport industry and tabled for a second reading on September 30, told UNIAN about the essence of the major reform and the critical state of the Ukrainian river infrastructure at the moment.

The Russian-occupied Crimea has been struggling without the Dnieper water as local ponds and rivers are drying up, as well as major reservoirs. Amid the unfolding disaster, occupation authorities put blame on Ukraine, while pursuing response initiatives that could ultimately destroy the ecosystem across the peninsula.