Business news from Ukraine

Kolos Agricultural Firm LLC, based in the Kyiv region, is successfully growing teff—a grain crop that is not widely cultivated in Ukraine—which is known for its drought resistance and can be used in the food industry, livestock farming, and for improving soil health. The farm is also working to register this crop in Ukraine.
As reported by the agricultural publication SEEDS on October 16, 2026, citing the company’s experience, teff holds promise for the Ukrainian agricultural sector amid climate change, rising temperatures, and water shortages.

According to Leonid Tsentilko, the owner and director of the agricultural firm, teff is a cereal crop with a well-developed fibrous root system that helps the plant withstand arid conditions.
“Teff is a cereal crop that is interesting because it has a powerful fibrous root system rich in living microorganisms and is capable of surviving even under arid conditions,” Tsentilo noted during a training and practical field seminar organized as part of the FarmForce project.

According to him, the unique characteristics of the root system allow the crop to continue growing even with insufficient rainfall. Additionally, teff can be used in mixtures with other green manure crops to improve soil structure and biological activity.
One of teff’s distinctive features is its extremely small seeds. At the same time, as the farm manager noted, this does not pose any critical technical limitations for harvesting, since the crop can be threshed using a standard combine harvester.

The agricultural enterprise has also experimented with processing the harvested grain. Specifically, it was ground in a stone mill to produce flour suitable for baking whole-grain bread.

Teff (Eragrostis tef) originates from Ethiopia, where it is one of the traditional food crops. Its grains are used to produce flour for baking bread, including the traditional Ethiopian injera. The crop is naturally gluten-free, making it a promising raw material for the production of specialized food products.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), teff is also grown as a forage crop. Thanks to its rapid growth and relative drought tolerance, it is used for hay production and to provide a forage base for livestock, particularly in South Africa, Australia, and the United States.

For Ukrainian farmers, teff may be of interest as a dual-purpose crop, allowing them to harvest grain for food processing and green forage for livestock. At the same time, its use as a green manure crop opens up additional opportunities for incorporating the crop into conservation tillage systems.

This approach may become particularly relevant for farms seeking alternatives to traditional crops due to increasing droughts, uneven rainfall distribution, and the need to diversify production.

At the same time, the prospects for industrial teff cultivation in Ukraine will depend on the availability of seeds, agricultural technologies, yields in various natural and climatic zones, and the development of stable demand from processing enterprises. Data on the area under cultivation, yield, and production costs for teff at the “Kolos” agricultural firm have not yet been made public.

“Kolos” Agricultural Firm LLC is an agricultural enterprise in the Kyiv region engaged in crop production, livestock farming, and the development of agricultural technologies. The company’s director and owner is Leonid Tsentylo. The company is experimenting with the cultivation of alternative crops and the use of technologies to restore soil fertility.

Sources: SEEDS, October 16, 2026; AgroPortal, originally published on October 10, 2026.