Ukraine will not grow exotic fruits despite warming due to critical winter temperatures — expert opinion

Climate change has provided Ukraine with a significant amount of additional thermal energy; however, extreme winter temperature drops make industrial cultivation of exotic crops impossible, said Yuriy Kiryak, Director of the Kherson Regional Hydrometeorological Center and PhD in agricultural sciences.

“I often hear calls to grow exotic crops such as bananas and citrus fruits. But winter temperatures, even for short periods, still reach critical levels of minus 15–19°C. These freezes will continue to occur. That is the answer to why there will be no exotics in Ukraine,” he said during the BLACK SEA GRAIN. KYIV – 2026.

According to the scientist, over the past 20 years the sum of effective temperatures in Ukraine has increased by 48%, with northern regions now approaching the climate conditions of Kherson in the 1940s–1950s. He noted that the country receives about 1,000 additional heat units, but crop performance still depends on water availability.

Kiryak emphasized that the issue is not only reduced rainfall but also its changing pattern, with more irregular and extreme precipitation events. He cited 2010 as an example, when 686 mm of rainfall fell in Kherson instead of the norm of 400 mm, with 157 mm occurring within just three days.

He warned that without irrigation and water accumulation systems, much of this moisture is lost, increasing risks for agriculture and requiring technological solutions to avoid worsening conditions.

The expert concluded that restoring irrigation systems in Ukraine would allow farmers to effectively convert additional heat into higher agricultural yields.

Tags: Ukraine, fruits