In March, Ukraine exported 1.1 million tons of wheat, which is one of the highest monthly figures of the current season, in April, the volume of supplies may be slightly lower, but still remain at a high level, according to the analytical cooperative “Start”, created within the framework of the All-Ukrainian Agrarian Council.
“For April, 850 thousand tons of wheat have already been contracted, and the total monthly exports may reach 1 million tons. Despite the general stagnation of demand in the European market, Ukrainian grain is finding its buyers, particularly in Egypt,” analysts said.
However, according to experts, the situation is less optimistic from the price point of view. The main export destinations for Ukrainian wheat – Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands – remain passive in terms of new purchases, and the reintroduction of duties on Ukrainian grain to the EU in June may further complicate access to the European market.
“There is no positive news for the wheat price so far. The stock market has been sinking in recent weeks, and we see a serious gap between the physical market and stock exchange quotes. While the FOB price in Ukraine is currently $60 per ton higher than in Chicago, by June-July the markets usually synchronize. This means that the Ukrainian physical price may sink, especially as the new harvest approaches,” Pusk commented.
According to analysts, the conditional average price for wheat of the 2nd class of the new harvest for July is forecasted at $190-200 per ton on a CPT-port basis, while currently this figure is fixed at $210-215. The potential decline could be up to $20 per ton.
“If you have the opportunity, you should not rush to sell. Historically, in July-August, the market is saturated with wheat from all major exporting countries – Ukraine, Russia, Romania, and the US – and even with a deficit balance, the price usually falls. At the same time, the seasonal model shows that from October to December, the price may rise to $220-235 per ton on a CPT-port basis. Therefore, if the financial cushion allows, it is worth considering postponing sales,” the analysts added.
They stated that flour mills are currently offering the best prices on the domestic market – 10500-11000 UAH/ton for 2-3 grade wheat.
“Given the sluggish export demand, this may be a more profitable solution for farmers,” Pusk believes.
The Chinese company SHAC will invest 40 million euros in the construction of a plant in Novi Sad, Serbia. The company has already signed an agreement with the German automaker BMW. The plant is expected to open by the end of 2025, with the first serial deliveries to European customers scheduled for the first quarter of 2027.
Other Chinese investment projects in Serbia:
Energy sector: In May 2024, the Serbian Ministry of Mines and Energy signed two agreements with Chinese companies totaling about €2.7 billion. These investments include the construction of an oil and petroleum product refinery in Smederevo and the construction of a solar panel plant in Paracin.
Infrastructure: The Chinese company Shandong High-speed Group is involved in the construction of the Belgrade-Zrenjanin-Novi Sad highway, as well as in the reconstruction project of the Constantine the Great airport in Niš.
Automotive industry: Mei Ta has invested 60 million euros in the construction of a plant for the production of automotive components in Obrenovac.
These projects demonstrate the expansion of Chinese investment in various sectors of the Serbian economy, contributing to industrial development and job creation in the region.
Source: https://t.me/relocationrs/741
Agrotrade agricultural holding has started sowing mustard in the fields of Kupiansk district, Kharkiv region, with 600 hectares of land allocated for the crop, the company’s press service reported on Facebook.
“Mustard is the crop that best tolerates deteriorating weather conditions, so we started with it. In addition, we continue sowing spring wheat in the weakened areas allocated for winter wheat. Currently, the soil is well cultivated and has sufficient moisture, which is conducive to high-quality sowing. So we don’t see any risks for the sowing campaign yet,” said Oleksandr Ovsyanyk, Director of Agrotrade’s Agricultural Department.
He added that the company plans to start sowing sunflower and corn in parallel on April 11, and the sowing campaign is expected to be completed by May 10.
The Agrotrade Group is a vertically integrated holding company with a full agro-industrial cycle (production, processing, storage and trade of agricultural products). The company cultivates over 70 thousand hectares of land in Chernihiv, Sumy, Poltava and Kharkiv regions. Its main crops are sunflower, corn, winter wheat, soybeans and rapeseed. It has its own network of elevators with a simultaneous storage capacity of 570 thousand tons.
The group also produces hybrid seeds of corn and sunflower, barley, and winter wheat. In 2014, a seed plant with a capacity of 20 thousand tons of seeds per year was built on the basis of Kolos seed farm (Kharkiv region). In 2018, Agrotrade launched its own brand Agroseeds on the market.
The founder of Agrotrade is Vsevolod Kozhemiako.
The agricultural holding Continental Farmers Group has started planting potatoes as part of the spring 2025 sowing campaign, and planting work is underway in fields in Ternopil and Lviv regions, the company’s press service reports.
According to the report, in 2025, 2130 hectares will be allocated for potatoes, of which 60% are chip varieties, 24% are table varieties, and 16% of the area will be occupied by seed plots. Continental explains the partial 13% increase in potato acreage compared to last year, in particular, by the increased demand for table potatoes and additional demand for chip potatoes, which the company works with under a contractual model with guaranteed purchases.
Continental noted that the early spring warming allowed the company to prepare the soil for potatoes in time and enter the planting season optimally.
“The weather conditions so far give us every reason to be optimistic about potatoes this season. If they continue to favor us, we plan to complete planting the main areas by the end of April. Our main goal is to deliver consistently high yields and quality products that our partners and consumers expect. To be confident in our results, we have all the necessary technical and technological resources,” emphasized Konstantin Shityuk, COO of Continental Farmers Group.
The company’s key innovations in potato growing technology this year include the expanded use of precision farming tools and fertilization based on agrochemical analysis. New cultivation protocols were also introduced based on the results of 2024 research to optimize the disease protection scheme.
In total, in 2025, Continental allocated 96 thousand hectares for spring crops and 84.9 thousand hectares for winter rape, wheat and barley.
Mriya Agro Holding and CFG, united under the name Continental Farmers Group, have been operating as a single business since November 2018, when Mriya entered into an agreement with international investor Salic UK to sell its assets.
Salic was founded in 2012. Its sole shareholder is the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, which invests in agricultural and livestock production.
One of the largest grain market operators in Ukraine, JV Nibulon LLC, has started the spring crops sowing campaign, for which it will allocate 36 thou hectares, which corresponds to the area under spring crops last year – 37 thou hectares, the press service of the agricultural holding reported on Facebook.
According to the report, corn will be Nibulon’s flagship crop in the 2025 season, just like last year. In addition, the area under soybeans will be doubled and the area under sunflower will be halved. This is due to the price expectations for this year’s grain crops and the forecast of a better economic result.
“We are using seeds sparingly, with seeding rates of 55-70 thou/ha for corn, 350-500 thou/ha for soybeans, and 45 thou/ha for sunflower (Mykolaiv region). In particular, 800 tons of soybean seeds of our own production have been laid and prepared for sowing,” the agroholding said.
Sunflower sowing, which is starting earlier than planned due to the rapid rise in temperatures and soil moisture deficit, has started in the Mykolaiv cluster. After April 12, the company plans to start sowing corn in Cherkasy, Vinnytsia and Khmelnytsky regions. Given favorable conditions, Nibulon’s farmers expect to complete the sowing campaign by mid-May, as they have the technical capability to sow 2-2.5 thousand hectares per productive day.
Oleg Veselov, Director of Agricultural Production at Nibulon Oleg Veselov noted that there is not enough moisture in the soil in the regions of the agricultural holding’s presence, but there is hope for April and May precipitation, so the company expects the gross harvest of spring crops to be 180 thousand tons of corn, 25 thousand tons of soybeans, and 70 thousand tons of sunflower.
Nibulon added that winter crops in Mykolaiv region are in good and satisfactory condition.
Nibulon JV LLC was established in 1991. Prior to the Russian military invasion, the grain trader had 27 transshipment terminals and complexes for receiving crops, a one-time storage capacity of 2.25 million tons of agricultural products, a fleet of 83 vessels (including 23 tugs), and owned the Mykolaiv Shipyard.
“Before the war, Nibulon cultivated 82 thousand hectares of land in 12 regions of Ukraine and exported agricultural products to more than 70 countries. In 2021, the grain trader exported the highest ever 5.64 mln tons of agricultural products and supplied record volumes to foreign markets in August – 0.7 mln tons, in the fourth quarter – 1.88 mln tons, and in the second half of the year – 3.71 mln tons.
Currently, the grain trader is operating at 32% of capacity, has set up a special unit to clear agricultural land of mines and had to move its headquarters from Mykolaiv to Kyiv.
