Ukraine’s agricultural sector enters harvest season with stable production indicators

Ukraine has successfully completed its 2026 spring sowing campaign, and the total harvest of grains and oilseeds is expected to reach 81–82 million tonnes, exceeding last year’s result. Despite challenging weather conditions in some regions, farmers generally fulfilled their planned planting programs. This was announced by the Executive Director of the First Ukrainian Agricultural Cooperative (PUSK), Oleksandr Buyukli.

The acreage under major crops remained largely unchanged compared to the previous season. Corn and sunflower plantings stayed close to last year’s levels, while winter crops saw a slight decline due to unfavorable autumn weather conditions. Soybean acreage is also expected to decrease somewhat.

This year’s planting campaign was more expensive for farmers because of higher fuel and fertilizer prices driven by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. However, many agricultural producers managed to limit the impact on production costs by securing supplies in advance.

Production costs for winter crops increased by around 5–10%, while costs for spring crops rose by 8–15%. Farms that contracted fuel and fertilizers during the autumn and winter months were better protected from price spikes and experienced a smaller increase in expenses.

Meanwhile, prices for key agricultural inputs have begun to ease in recent weeks. Diesel fuel prices have retreated significantly from their spring highs, while fertilizer prices have also started to decline. This could help reduce harvesting costs, although market participants caution that price trends remain highly dependent on external factors and geopolitical developments.

Tags: sown area, crop forecast, Ukraine, harvesting