Ukraine exported 1.52 million metric tons of barley in the 2025/2026 marketing year, according to the Ukrainian Grain Association.
China was the leading importer of Ukrainian barley, with 487,000 metric tons. Turkey imported 297,000 metric tons, Libya—230,000 metric tons, Saudi Arabia—121,000 metric tons, and Lebanon—115,000 metric tons.
According to the UGA, total exports of grains and oilseeds for the season fell to 41.1 million metric tons from 46.7 million metric tons a year earlier.
The agricultural holding KSG Agro has begun harvesting winter barley, winter wheat, and spring barley across a total area of 4,960 hectares.
According to the company’s press service in response to a request from Interfax-Ukraine, winter wheat will be harvested from 3,700 hectares, winter barley from 562 hectares, and spring barley from 698 hectares.
“This year’s weather conditions have allowed the entire grain crop to reach maturity and be ready for harvest almost simultaneously. In particular, the moisture content of the wheat grain is 13–16%, which is the optimal level for starting the harvest. While we previously planned to harvest crops in stages, under current weather conditions we are conducting an intensive and time-compressed harvest campaign that will last about 10–12 days,” the press service quoted Vitaliy Nekhay, head of KSG Agro’s crop production division, as saying.
The report notes that nine combine harvesters and 25 trucks for transporting grain are being used to harvest winter barley and winter wheat.
“The holding expects slightly higher yield figures than previously forecast. In this regard, the farms are paying special attention to minimizing losses during harvesting to prevent the grain from drying out and to ensure an optimal gross harvest,” the statement said, citing the head of the crop production division.
As previously reported, the agricultural holding KSG Agro intends to invest over 25 million UAH in creating an autonomous water supply system for one of its pig farms and plans to fully supply it with water from its own sources by the end of 2026.
KSG Agro is a vertically integrated holding company engaged in pig farming, as well as the production, storage, processing, and sale of grains and oilseeds. The company’s land bank in the Dnipropetrovsk and Kherson regions totals approximately 21,000 hectares. The agricultural holding is among the top five largest pork producers in Ukraine.
Serhiy Kasyanov remains the ultimate beneficiary of the holding company; through Olbis Investment LTD SA, he owns 47.83% of the shares, while 47.57% of the shares are freely traded on the Warsaw Stock Exchange.
Farmers in the Odesa region were the first in Ukraine to begin the harvest; specifically, the harvest of winter barley and peas has begun, according to Oleg Kipper, head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration.
“The initial results of the harvest indicate good yields. This allows us to view the prospects for this year’s harvest campaign with optimism,” Kipper noted.
According to his data, farmers in the Odesa region are expected to harvest grains and legumes from nearly 770 thousand hectares this year. As is traditional, winter and spring wheat account for the largest share of the crops—over 522,000 hectares. Barley covers nearly 176,000 hectares, peas—about 74,400 hectares, and rapeseed—over 175,000 hectares.
As previously reported, a total of about 11.3 million hectares were sown with winter and spring grains and legumes in Ukraine this year, while total oilseed crops covered more than 20 million hectares.
The Ukrainian barley market remains price-stable amid a gradual revival of trade in the new crop and anticipation of the results of the tender in Turkey, according to the analytical cooperative “Push,” established within the All-Ukrainian Agrarian Council (VAR).
“The Turkish tender is currently the key factor for the market. According to preliminary estimates, over 200,000 tons of barley will be purchased for delivery in March–May. This is a fairly significant volume that affects the balance of supply and demand in the Black Sea region,” analysts noted.
On Ukraine’s domestic market, prices for old-crop barley remain relatively stable. Barley is trading at 10,800–11,100 UAH/ton. Analysts noted that due to exchange rates, the price should have risen to 11,200–11,400 UAH/ton, but there is currently no real demand at such price levels in Ukraine. The market remains passive, so no significant price fluctuations for the old crop are expected in the next month and a half.
At the same time, trade in new-crop barley is gradually picking up in Ukraine. The first price benchmarks for farmers have already been announced: standard-quality barley is fetching $205–207/ton, while buyers are willing to pay more—$210–211/ton—for barley meeting Chinese market requirements.
“In the coming weeks, we are unlikely to see significant changes in these levels. Theoretically, the new harvest could add a few more dollars, but this will not be a sharp movement. More active sales can be expected in April-May,” according to forecasts from “Push.”
Barley exports from Ukraine in the 2025/2026 marketing year (MY, July-June) are forecast at 2.8 million tons, which is 22% higher than the previous season, according to the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club (UACB) on Facebook.
The association’s analysts noted that barley production has remained relatively stable during the years of war, although it has declined significantly compared to the pre-war period. In 2025/26 MY, Ukraine harvested 5.3 million tons of this crop, which is 0.4% more than in the previous marketing year, but 19.7% less than the average for the last five years.
Among the key trends of the season, experts highlighted the largest reduction in barley acreage among all grains due to the temporary occupation of territories and low export potential. The area under cultivation was 1.4 million hectares, which is 0.9% less than in the previous marketing year and 26.4% below the five-year average. At the same time, barley was the only grain crop to show an increase in yield to 3.9 tons/ha, which was 8.4% higher than the average for the last five years.
Experts emphasized that increased production and high carryover stocks allowed for increased shipments to foreign markets after a decline in the 2024/2025 season. At the same time, Ukraine continues to experience a prolonged decline in domestic barley consumption, which is estimated at 2.8 million tons in the current marketing year. Of this volume, 1.9 million tons are used for feed, and 0.2 million tons are used for food.
“Despite the largest reduction in acreage among all grains, barley managed to maintain production volumes thanks to increased yields. The decline in domestic consumption and the availability of carryover stocks will allow Ukraine to increase exports in the 2025/2026 marketing year, meeting the demand of countries in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East,” the UACB concluded.
Barley exports from Ukraine between July and November of the 2025-2026 marketing year (MY, July-June) amounted to 1.2 million tons, which is 37% less than shipments during the same period of the 2024/25 MY and represents 46% of the projected export potential of grain, according to the information and analytical agency “APK-Inform”.
Experts noted that in November this year, barley exports from Ukraine amounted to 78.2 thousand tons, which is 50% less than in the same period a year earlier.
The main importers of Ukrainian grain in July-November were China, which purchased 42% of all shipments, Turkey with a share of 20%, and Libya (12%). At the same time, Turkey increased its imports of Ukrainian barley by 6.4 times in 2025/26 MY, purchasing 233 thousand tons compared to 36 thousand tons last season. Meanwhile, China and Libya reduced their barley purchases by 31% and 37%, respectively.
“The export potential of Ukrainian barley in 2025/26 MY is estimated at 2.5 million tons, which is 11% higher than last MY. The gross grain harvest is expected to reach 5.3 million tons,” according to APK-Inform’s forecast.
