Ukraine is shifting its crop structure in favor of oilseeds

Ukraine is witnessing a steady trend of reducing grain crop areas in favor of oilseeds, driven by a significant difference in profitability, said Maksym Kharchenko, analyst at the information and analytical agency UkrAgroConsult.

“Profitability of wheat production, and grains in general, is currently lower than that of oilseeds. This trend has been clearly visible over recent seasons. If before the full-scale invasion wheat acreage was significantly larger than sunflower, since 2023 the situation has changed: sunflower plantings in Ukraine have become more stable and larger in scale than grains,” he said during the BLACK SEA GRAIN. KYIV – 2026 conference.

According to UkrAgroConsult, wheat profitability in the current season is below 30%, while sunflower reaches around 50%. Rapeseed and soybean profitability also remain at similarly high levels.

The analyst stressed that despite the loss of part of the territory, oilseed areas have not only recovered but in some segments have even exceeded pre-war levels. This reflects a strategic shift by farmers away from grains toward more profitable crops.

According to the presented infographic, Ukraine’s crop structure is changing in line with profitability levels. Until 2022, wheat was the leading crop by area, but losses of -14.9% in 2022 and -1.8% in 2023 forced farmers to reconsider priorities. The chart showed a “crossing point” in the 2022/23 season, after which sunflower definitively overtook wheat. It now provides the highest profitability at 48%, while wheat and corn stand at 26% and 23% respectively, further encouraging expansion of oilseed acreage.

“We are seeing production growth across all oilseed crops. In particular, sunflower production (in the 2026/2027 season — IF-U) is expected to reach 13.7 million tonnes due to higher yields and expanded acreage,” UkrAgroConsult forecasts.

Tags: sunseed, rapeseed, sown area, crop forecast, Ukraine, soybean