Exports of Ukrainian agricultural seeds have increased more than sixfold over the past five years, reaching $122 million in monetary terms from the initial $20 million, according to Oleksandr Zakharchuk, head of the investment and logistics department at the National Research Center “Institute of Agrarian Economics”.
“In 2025 and the following years, the existing trends are to increase exports by 10-15% annually and stabilize imports of agricultural seeds at the level of $350-400,” he said.
The scientist is convinced that the decrease in imports of grain and oilseed seeds is due to a number of factors, including the ability to produce conditioned hybrid seeds of foreign selection in Ukraine at new modern seed plants in Ukraine. This will be enough to meet both domestic needs and export to the EU.
In addition, he pointed to a decrease in seed consumption due to the reduction of commercial crops caused by Russia’s large-scale armed aggression against Ukraine, in particular, the temporary occupation of its territories and military operations.
“The consequences of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in particular, the temporary occupation of its territories, led to an increase in the plantings of certain niche grains and oilseeds. This, in turn, has led to an increase in imports of seeds of such crops as rye, oats, sorghum, flax, hemp, mustard, as well as sugar beets and vegetables in the period 2022-2024,” Zakharchuk stated.
