If Ukraine did not supply sugar to the EU, other countries would do it

European agricultural associations almost every month declare the alleged negative impact of Ukrainian agricultural products on the local market. This creates a constant information background that accompanies any agricultural export from Ukraine.

This was stated on the air of Hromadske Radio by Oleksandra Avramenko, the head of the European Integration Committee of the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club (UCAB) association, commenting on publications about the impact of Ukrainian sugar on the work of European factories. She emphasized that the accusations of “destruction” of the European agricultural sector are not true: it continues to work and make profits.

The expert noted that the European sugar market is unstable in itself and depends on climate, crop rotation and other factors. In the MY 2022/23, the underproduction of sugar in the EU amounted to about 2 million tons, which had to be compensated by imports of up to 2.3 million tons. The following season, production increased by 1 million tons, while imports decreased to 1.4 million tons, and a similar situation was repeated in the MY 2024/25.

According to Avramenko, Ukrainian exports of over 1 million tons over the past three years do not look critical, since the EU imported over 6.5 million tons of sugar from third countries during the same period. “If Ukraine had not supplied this million tons, the EU would still have imported the necessary volume from other countries,” she emphasized, emphasizing the economic logic of the market.

The expert also drew attention to the information aspect. Often, a wave of complaints coincides with key political moments in Ukraine-EU relations. The process of agreeing on an updated free trade zone agreement is currently underway, which may enter into force before the end of the year. The updated version of the agreement provides for an increase in quotas for Ukrainian agricultural goods, in particular sugar, from 20 thousand to 100 thousand tons.

Tags: Ukraine, EU, sugar