In its August report, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) raised its forecast for wheat production in Ukraine for the 2026/2027 marketing year (July–June) by 1.4 million metric tons compared to the July report—to 25.4 million metric tons, forage grain by 2.31 million metric tons, to 38.59 million metric tons, including corn by 1.8 million metric tons, to 31.8 million metric tons.
At the same time, the forecast for wheat exports from Ukraine for this marketing year has been lowered by 1 million metric tons to 13.5 million metric tons, and for feed grains by 1.21 million metric tons to 24.27 million metric tons, including corn, which is down by 1.0 million metric tons to 22.0 million metric tons.
According to estimates by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, nearly all of this difference will be absorbed by carryover stocks for this marketing year: for wheat, the estimate has been increased by 2.27 million metric tons to 4.80 million metric tons; for feed grains, by 3.40 million metric tons to 7.13 million metric tons; and for corn, by 2.80 million metric tons to 4.86 million metric tons.
“Global trade volumes (for wheat) have been reduced by 0.3 million metric tons to 212.7 million metric tons due to a decline in exports from Russia and Ukraine, which was only partially offset by increased exports from Canada and Kazakhstan. Exports from Russia and Ukraine are declining due to logistical disruptions caused by the escalation of the conflict between these two countries in the Azov and Black Seas,” the USDA noted.
At the same time, the forecast for global carryover stocks for the 2026/27 marketing year has been increased by 0.4 million metric tons—to 273.3 million metric tons—as growth in Ukraine and Russia more than offsets declines in Indonesia, Australia, and several other countries.
As for corn, the export forecast for this marketing year has even been increased by 0.6 million metric tons—to 210.48 million metric tons—driven by the United States.
For Russia, the USDA lowered its forecast for wheat exports by 1.5 million metric tons—to 46.0 million metric tons—and for feed grains by 0.4 million metric tons—to 7.58 million metric tons, including corn, which was reduced by 0.2 million metric tons—to 3.8 million metric tons.
As previously reported, in the quarterly report from the USDA office in Kyiv in early August, the forecast for exports from Ukraine in this marketing year was revised downward much more sharply: wheat by 3.7 million metric tons to 10.8 million metric tons, corn by 9 million metric tons to 14 million metric tons, but the forecast for barley was increased by 0.1 million metric tons to 2.5 million metric tons.
As previously reported, starting July 22 of this year, due to an increase in Russian attacks on ports and ships—including the use of missiles—ship calls to Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea have been suspended.
“The prolonged blockade of port operations is creating a large-scale financial crisis for the agricultural sector. In the 2026/2027 marketing year, Ukraine is expected to export approximately 64.4 million metric tons of agricultural products. At the same time, due to the prolonged restrictions on seaport operations, exports could be reduced by nearly half—to about 29.6 million metric tons,” the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine noted on August 7.
Recently, Taras Vysotsky, head of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, provided Reuters with another updated estimate for grain exports—38–40 million metric tons instead of the previous estimate of 43 million metric tons.
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan plan to jointly enter new export markets in the Middle East. The agreement was reached during the Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan Business Forum, which took place on August 5 in Tashkent.
As part of the initiative, business delegations from both countries intend to visit Aleppo in late September and Erbil in early October. A trilateral business forum involving companies from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Syria is planned to be held in Syria. The Uzbek side may be represented by 20–30 companies.
The Syrian market is of particular interest, as demand for construction materials, food products, sunflower oil, and meat products is growing amid the country’s reconstruction.
In Iraq, the supply of confectionery products, porcelain tiles, household chemicals, and polyethylene pellets has been identified as promising areas.
Joint entry into third-country markets will make it possible to:
· expand the export reach of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan;
· combine the production and export capabilities of the two countries;
· develop cooperation between enterprises;
· utilize shared logistics routes;
· find new foreign partners.
The initiative reflects a new approach to economic partnership between the two countries—shifting from the development of mutual trade to the joint development of third-country markets. Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan also maintain their goal of increasing bilateral trade to $10 billion.
During the 2025/2026 season, Ukraine earned a record 250.8 million euros in revenue from frozen raspberry exports, a 65% increase over the previous season.
Between June 2025 and May 2026, Ukrainian companies exported 63,300 metric tons of frozen raspberries, increasing the physical volume of shipments by 7%, according to data from the July analytical report by the Ukrainian Berry Growers Association, published on August 7.
Thus, the main factor driving the growth in export revenue was not an increase in volume but a significant rise in the price of Ukrainian berries. The average export price was 3.96 euros per kg, which is 54% higher than in the previous season.
In May, the final month of the 2025/2026 season, Ukraine exported approximately 2,900 metric tons of frozen raspberries at an average price of 3.95 euros per kilogram. Poland, the Czech Republic, and Germany were among the main export destinations.
This revenue growth continues a trend that began as early as the 2025 calendar year. At that time, frozen raspberry exports rose from 55,700 metric tons in 2024 to 60,700 metric tons—an increase of approximately 9%—while their value jumped from 129.3 million euros to 216.7 million euros.
The average price of Ukrainian raspberries rose significantly throughout last year. While it stood at about 2.78 euros per kg at the beginning of 2025, it exceeded 3.8 euros in the second half of the year and reached 4.29 euros per kg in December.
Poland Remains the Main Market
Poland remains the largest buyer of Ukrainian frozen raspberries and is also a major European processing and re-export hub.
In 2025, Ukraine supplied 24.1 thousand metric tons of frozen raspberries to Poland. The Polish market accounted for 39.7% of Ukraine’s total export revenue from this product, or 86.1 million euros. A year earlier, that share stood at 31.8%.
Germany is the second-largest market. Direct Ukrainian shipments there in 2025 totaled 14.1 thousand metric tons, compared to 15.4 thousand metric tons the previous year. At the same time, the “Berry Growers of Ukraine” Association suggests that a portion of German demand is increasingly being met through Polish intermediaries.
The Czech Republic retained its third-place position. Ukraine supplied approximately 10,000 metric tons of frozen raspberries there annually, and the value of shipments in 2025 rose from 24.1 million euros to 39.1 million euros, primarily due to higher prices.
The price situation remains favorable for Ukrainian producers
The “Berry Growers of Ukraine” Association expects that in the 2026/2027 season, the situation on the European market may remain favorable for Ukrainian exporters.
Among the factors supporting prices, analysts cite problems with the raspberry harvest in Serbia and the uneven condition of plantations in Poland. In its July report, the association estimates Serbia’s 2026 harvest to be 20–30% below normal levels due to drought.
This potentially reduces supply from one of Europe’s traditionally largest producers and exporters of frozen raspberries and opens up additional opportunities for Ukrainian suppliers.
As a result, Ukraine is gradually increasing not only the physical volume of berry exports but also the value of its shipments. In the 2025/2026 season, price increases had a significantly greater impact on export revenue than increases in tonnage, bringing revenue from frozen raspberries to a historic high of 250.8 million euros.
From January through July 2026, 30 people sought medical assistance due to snake bites in Ukraine.
According to the Public Health Center (PHC) on its website, four of the victims were children.
Specifically, 10 cases were reported in Zhytomyr Oblast, nine in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, five in Lviv Oblast, four in Chernivtsi Oblast, and one each in Zakarpattia and Rivne Oblasts.
The PHC notes that data from the Luhansk region and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea are unavailable.
The PHC emphasizes that there are no deadly venomous snakes in Ukraine; however, there are three species of venomous snakes (the steppe viper, the common viper, and Nikolsky’s viper), whose bites typically prompt people to seek medical assistance.
“None of them are fatally venomous to a healthy adult. Snakes never attack first; if a snake is disturbed, it will be forced to defend itself. If you see a snake, do not make any sudden movements. Do not try to approach or chase it away, and certainly do not kill the animal. Calmly wait until it slithers away on its own,” notes the Public Health Center
TAScombank is launching a new mobile app for individual customers in August 2026; development costs have already exceeded $2 million, according to the bank’s chairman, Volodymyr Dubey.
According to him, the final cost of the project has not yet been determined, as work on the app is still ongoing.
“We haven’t been developing our apps for the past two years because we’re transitioning to a new one. There’s no point in investing money in an old app that runs on an outdated platform,” Dubey said in an interview with Liga.net.
The new app is also intended to be part of the bank’s preparations for the implementation of Open Banking, which could intensify competition among banks and expand customers’ ability to use the services of multiple financial institutions simultaneously.
TAScombank previously developed sportbank as a separate digital brand for retail customers. In its final year of operation, the project became self-sustaining and began to generate a small profit, and the bank’s investment in it has almost completely paid off, Dubey noted.
He estimated the cost of launching a full-fledged fintech project, including app development, at at least $10 million.
According to the National Bank, as of June 1, 2026, TAScombank, with total assets of 56.45 billion UAH, ranked 15th among Ukraine’s 58 solvent banks.
In January–June 2026, NASK “Oranta” collected insurance premiums totaling 1.9 billion UAH, which is 7.3% more than in the same period a year earlier (1.77 billion UAH).
According to the insurer’s website, the company issued over 1.36 million insurance policies in January–June. Compared to the first half of 2025, this number increased by 8.1%.
The majority of the portfolio consisted of compulsory motor third-party liability insurance (CMTPL) policies—UAH 1.57 billion (+6.6%). The company issued over 609,000 CMTPL policies.
Premiums from accident insurance increased by 61.7% to 18.8 million UAH, and from health insurance by 51.5% to 76 million UAH. Premiums from comprehensive auto insurance (CASCO) rose by 26.5% to 52.6 million UAH. The number of health insurance policies increased by 48.2% to 254,000, and comprehensive auto insurance (CASCO) policies by 59% to 5,400. In liability insurance, the number of policies issued more than doubled to 91,800.
The company also reports that during the first six months of 2026, it made insurance payments totaling 763.4 million UAH, which is 55.1% more than during the same period in 2025.
The largest share of payouts was for compulsory motor third-party liability insurance (CMTPL)—638.4 million UAH, which is 74.7% higher than the figure for the corresponding period last year. Payments under “Green Card” policies totaled 64.2 million UAH, while comprehensive auto insurance (CASCO) payments amounted to 27.1 million UAH. Health insurance payouts rose by 87.9% to nearly 26 million UAH.
At the end of the first six months, Oranta’s assets totaled 3.86 billion UAH, a 36.3% increase compared to the same period a year earlier. Equity rose by 57.5% to 1.26 billion UAH, while insurance reserves increased by 27.3% to 2.39 billion UAH.
The company’s net income for the first half of the year was 306.1 million UAH, compared to 73.7 million UAH for the same period in 2025. A total of 230 million UAH in taxes was paid to budgets at all levels—48% more than in the first half of last year.
“The results for the first half of the year confirm that Oranta is gradually transitioning to a more diversified business model. Auto insurance remains the foundation of our portfolio, but health insurance, comprehensive auto insurance (CASCO), and other areas we have identified as priorities are making an increasingly significant contribution. It is essential for us that business growth be accompanied by the strengthening of financial stability and the company’s ability to fulfill an ever-increasing volume of obligations to our clients,” said Jacek Meizner, Chairman of the Board of NASK ORANTA.
NASK “Oranta” is the legal successor to “Ukrderzhstrakh,” founded on November 25, 1921, and has been conducting insurance operations in Ukraine for over 100 years.
The company has been a full member of the Motor Transport Insurance Bureau of Ukraine (MTIBU) since 1994 and a member of the Nuclear Insurance Pool since 2003.
The insurer’s main shareholder is the Ukrainian business group DCH.
