Season promises to be successful for Ukrainian pea producers

Pea production in Ukraine is gradually returning to pre-war levels. This crop attracts agricultural producers with stable demand and good profitability. In addition, peas improve the quality of the soil, saturating it with nitrogen, which makes it one of the best predecessors for wheat. It is not surprising that the area sown under this legume crop is gradually increasing, writes Antonina Sklyarenko, president of the Ukrainian Legume and Soybean Association, in her column on AgroTimes.

Before the start of the full-scale invasion, the area under peas in Ukraine was 240 thousand hectares, but due to the war in 2022 they decreased to 125.7 thousand hectares. However, already in 2024, peas were harvested from an area of ​​​​212.28 thousand hectares, which is 40% more than in 2023. This year, according to preliminary calculations, more than 220 thousand hectares were allocated for this crop.

Accordingly, the level of pea production is also increasing from year to year. In the 2023/2024 marketing year, it amounted to 409 thousand tons, and in 2024/2025, the harvest is forecast to increase to almost 480 thousand tons. The potential for increasing production volumes remains.

Currently, processing volumes are increasing in Ukraine, and enterprises offer competitive prices. However, the bulk of the harvest is exported.

Turkey has remained the undisputed leader in the import of Ukrainian peas over the past three years. In particular, last year, 77.1 thousand tons of peas were exported to this country for the amount of 18.679 million USD. In second place in 2024 was India, where 76.9 thousand tons were delivered for the amount of 21.563 million USD. The increase in exports was facilitated by the decision of the official Delhi on duty-free import of yellow peas, the validity of which has been extended until the end of May 2025. And although the Indian government previously stated its unwillingness to continue the duty-free regime, weather conditions in the country may negatively affect the harvest, which will affect further trade policy.

Other major importers of Ukrainian peas include Italy, the UAE, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, etc. Together, these countries account for more than 62% of exports of this crop, which ensures stable sales.

Ukrainian producers have also begun to process peas into split peas – this product is more attractive in price and is in demand in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

An additional incentive to increase production was the opening of the Chinese market for Ukrainian peas. China is one of the world’s largest importers of legumes, so this opens up new opportunities for domestic producers.

In addition, the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China Ma Shenkun, during a meeting with the Head of the State Service for Food and Consumer Protection of Ukraine Serhiy Tkachuk, noted that Ukrainian agricultural products have priority when choosing suppliers if there are alternatives.

Given that China introduced a 100% duty on Canadian peas on March 7, Ukrainian producers have received an additional competitive advantage.

China’s certification of Ukrainian peas will help stabilize prices for the new crop. Starting from March 2025, purchase prices for peas in Ukraine have been constantly growing. As for export prices, on a CIF basis for Pakistan and India, they are currently about $350 per ton. It is expected that with the start of deliveries to the premium market of China, prices may increase even more.

Thus, the current season promises to be successful for pea producers: global demand for Ukrainian legumes will provide favorable conditions for sales.

Tags: Ukraine, pea