Ukraine becomes net importer of dairy products

Ukraine became a net importer of dairy products in January-August 2026 amid a decline in exports and a significant increase in imports. The country’s total dairy trade amounted to $424.1 million, just 0.8% higher than in the same period last year, according to the Union of Dairy Enterprises of Ukraine.

Dairy exports fell by 20.5% in the first eight months of the year to $176.9 million, compared with $222.3 million a year earlier. In volume terms, butter exports halved, while shipments of powdered and condensed milk declined by 7%. At the same time, exports of fermented dairy products rose by 28%, whey by 1.1% and cheese by 0.9%.

Dairy imports, meanwhile, increased by 24.7%, from $198.3 million to $247.2 million. In volume terms, imports of drinking milk and liquid cream rose 3.7-fold, butter imports increased 2.6-fold and whey imports grew 1.7-fold. Cheese imports increased by 26%, while imports of fermented dairy products rose by 17%.

As a result, Ukraine recorded a dairy trade deficit of $70.3 million, compared with a surplus of $24.1 million in January-August 2025. The trade balance therefore deteriorated by $94.4 million year-on-year. The export-to-import ratio fell from 1.12 to 0.72, meaning that around $1.4 worth of dairy products is now imported for every $1 exported.

The structure of Ukrainian dairy exports has also changed significantly. In August, the share of butter and other dairy fats in export value fell from 36% to 15% compared with August 2025. Meanwhile, the share of powdered and condensed milk increased from 24% to 37%, while whey rose from 5% to 11%. Cheese accounted for 25% of dairy export value.

At the same time, Ukraine’s dairy imports are becoming more diversified. Cheese remains the largest category, although its share fell from 82.3% to 76.9% in August. The share of non-condensed milk and cream increased from 1.4% to 4.9%, whey from 3.7% to 5.6%, and butter and other dairy fats from 3.6% to 4.5%. Imports are therefore increasingly expanding into other dairy product categories.

Tags: imports, butter, Cheese, powdered milk, dairy products, condensed milk, Ukraine, export, Milk