The Ukrainian Kobzarenko Group, a manufacturer of trailed agricultural equipment, has launched a new production facility in Kovel, Volyn Oblast, and plans to increase its capacity to approximately 350 machines per year by 2028.
The facility will produce equipment for handling liquid fertilizers and other liquids, including precision fertilizer applicators, mixing and filling stations, and tanks for transporting water and liquid fertilizers. The first units of equipment at the new facility have already been manufactured.
The company intends to invest approximately 40 million UAH annually in production development. As the facility reaches its planned capacity, it is expected to create about 100 new jobs.
The launch of the plant is also significant from the perspective of the geographical expansion of the Ukrainian machine-building industry. The group’s main production facilities have historically been located in the Sumy region. The company also has sites in Lipova Dolyna and Romny, and outside Ukraine, its Polish plant, Kobzarenko Sp. z o.o., manufactures equipment and simultaneously serves as a service center for the European market.
At the same time, the company continues to expand its presence in the EU. In 2026, Kobzarenko participated in industry trade shows in Romania, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, and Poland. Following the AGRA 2026 exhibition in Slovenia, the manufacturer announced negotiations to expand its dealer network in Austria and the search for a new partner in Slovenia.
Thus, the company is simultaneously developing its European sales network and increasing its production capacity in Ukraine.
The Kobzarenko Group has been operating since 1993 and specializes in the manufacture of agricultural machinery, specifically tractor trailers, grain transfer devices, tankers, fertilizer application equipment, and other machinery.
Source: Kobzarenko’s official website.
AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY, INVESTMENTS, MANUFACTURING, mechanical engineering, Кобзаренко
Tractor imports to Ukraine in January–May 2026 totaled $360 million, which is slightly (by 1.2%) higher than the figure for the same period in 2025 ($355.9 million), according to statistics from the State Customs Service.
According to the published data, tractor imports in May rose by nearly 9% compared to May of last year but fell by 21.6% compared to April of this year, to $65.5 million.
In January–May 2026, tractors were imported mainly from Germany (19.8% or $71.4 million), the United States (nearly 19.1% or $71.3 million), and China (18.6% or $66.6 million), whereas last year the United States was the leader ($70.1 million), followed by Germany ($61.4 million), and China in third place ($61.3 million).
According to statistics from the State Customs Service, in January–May 2026, tractors worth $3.94 million were exported, mostly to Belgium (26.16%), while last year exports totaled $2.5 million, with the majority of shipments going to Romania (43.7%).
As reported, tractor imports to Ukraine in 2025 totaled $845.7 million, exceeding the 2024 figure by 7.9%; the main suppliers were the United States ($179.7 million), Germany ($145 million), and China ($142.8 million).
Exports totaled $6.6 million, compared to $5.4 million in 2024, with the majority going to Romania, Belgium, and Germany.
The National Bank of Ukraine has increased the deadline for settlements on agricultural and specialized equipment export transactions carried out from March 1, 2026, from 180 to 270 days.
This applies to goods classified under UKT VED codes 8424, 8428, 8432, and 8716.
The NBU specifies that the decision was made following consultations with the Ministry of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture and taking into account the government’s proposals (Cabinet of Ministers Order No. 573-r of June 21, 2024).
The changes were approved by NBU Board Resolution No. 18 dated February 26, 2026, which comes into force on February 28, 2026.
The Ministry of Economy believes that extending the deadline “from 180 to 270 calendar days” will help exporters avoid the risks of reduced supplies due to long production cycles and the specifics of fulfilling foreign economic contracts, as well as support the continuity of contracts and the inflow of foreign currency earnings.
AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY, EXPORTS, foreign currency earnings, NBU, REGULATION
Astarta, Ukraine’s largest sugar producer, plans to invest over $21 million in 2025 to upgrade its agricultural machinery fleet, the company’s press service reports.
According to the report, 150 units of new equipment have already been contracted, including heavy tractors, sprayers, self-propelled beet harvesters, sowing complexes, precision seeders, tillage machines and other equipment. Some of the equipment has been delivered to the agro-industrial holding’s production facilities and will be actively used in the spring field work. This will help increase the efficiency of agricultural production and optimize tillage and harvesting processes, as well as preserve soil health.
“The purchase of modern machinery is one of the elements of our decarbonization strategy, which involves reducing greenhouse gas emissions through more fuel-efficient equipment and the use of precision and regenerative farming practices. In order to reduce the impact of agricultural production on climate change, Astarta continues to scale up such practices, in particular, reducing the number and depth of tillage and increasing the area under cover crops,” said Andriy Zagorulko, Director of Crop Production, Logistics and Mechanization.
According to him, in 2024, the agricultural holding increased the area under no-till tillage and green manure. It has expanded the differentiated and local application of mineral fertilizers, which provides for their optimal use. In addition, local fertilization simultaneously with main tillage significantly reduces fuel consumption due to fewer technological operations.
“The updated machinery fleet will allow us to respond more quickly to changing weather conditions, be much more cost-effective and reduce dependence on third-party services,” the agricultural holding is convinced.
“Astarta is a vertically integrated agro-industrial holding company operating in eight regions of Ukraine. It includes six sugar factories, agricultural enterprises with a land bank of 220 thousand hectares and dairy farms with 22 thousand cattle, an oil extraction plant in Globyno (Poltava region), seven elevators and a biogas complex.
In 2023, the agricultural holding reduced its net profit by 5.0% to EUR 61.9 million, and its EBITDA decreased by 6.1% to EUR 145.77 million, while revenue increased by 21.3% to EUR 618.93 million.
Production and design association “MAANS” (Rivne region), one of the largest manufacturers of equipment and spare parts, has increased production of agricultural machinery despite the war, reported the press service of Rivne regional military administration.
“Despite the war, the company has increased the production of its products by 2 times. Last year “MAANS” paid more than 31 million UAH of taxes to the budgets of all levels and ended the year with a profit. The wages of employees are gradually increasing. Today 140 workplaces have been created here”, – said the deputy head of the OBA Alexander Kohan.
“MAANS” has modern production facilities with an area of 9 thousand square meters. meters. There is equipment for cutting, bending, stamping, heat treatment, milling, welding and grinding of metal. There is a full cycle of production of cutterbars, carts for them, spare parts and consumables for them, noted in OBA.
The enterprise exports one-third of its production abroad. “MAANS” also joined the state platform “Made in Ukraine”: 27 units of equipment are in the list of the state program of compensation for the cost of agricultural machinery.
PE “VKO “MAANS” was registered in 2010 in Zdolbuniv, Rivne region. The authorized capital of the enterprise is 100 thousand UAH. Its beneficiaries are Stanislav Seredyuk (70%) and Igor Seredyuk (30%).
According to preliminary data, a large Ukrainian manufacturer of sowing and tillage machinery Elworthy JSC (formerly Chervona Zirka, Kropivnitsky) has completed 2023 with a loss of UAH 85.85 mln, which is 81.6% more than the same indicator of 2022.
The corresponding information is contained in the agenda of the general meeting of shareholders of the company, scheduled for April 25, published in the disclosure system of the National Commission on Securities and Stock Market (NCSSM).
According to the draft decision of the meeting, the losses are planned to be repaid at the expense of retained earnings of previous years.
According to the Clarity-project resource, the company’s retained earnings amounted to UAH 611.039 million by the beginning of this year.
The meeting also intends, in particular, to re-elect the Supervisory Board.
JSC “Elworthy”, which is part of the group of enterprises “Elworthy Group” of businessman Pavel Shtutman, specializes in the production of seeding and tillage equipment: seeders for sowing grain and row crops, cultivators for continuous and inter-row tillage, disc harrows for resource-saving tillage.
As reported, in January-September 2023, the company has received UAH 59.17 million loss against net profit of UAH 29.3 million for the same period of 2022, with net income falling by 35% to UAH 422.93 million.
According to Clarity-project, net income for the whole of 2023 fell by 34.3% to UAH 490.7m.
