Since the beginning of 2024-2025 marketing year (July-June) and as of February 7, Ukraine exported 26.449 mln tonnes of grains and pulses, 758 thsd tonnes of which were shipped this month, the press service of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food reported, citing the data of the State Customs Service.
According to the report, as of the same date last year, the total shipments amounted to 24.716 mln tonnes, including 840 thsd tonnes in February.
In terms of crops, since the beginning of the current season, Ukraine has exported 11.073 mln tonnes of wheat (269 thsd tonnes in February), 2.079 mln tonnes of barley (15 thsd tonnes), 10.8 thsd tonnes of rye (0), and 12.865 mln tonnes of corn (472 thsd tonnes).
The total export of Ukrainian flour since the beginning of the season as of February 7 is estimated at 44.3 thsd tonnes (0.7 thsd tonnes in February), including 40.9 thsd tonnes of wheat (0.7 thsd tonnes).
Prices for live cattle have risen sharply in Ukraine – by almost 20% over the past week, as of February 5, they increased from 64 to 74 UAH/kg and demand remains high, according to the Association of Milk Producers (AMP).
“The main driver is the increased demand from exporters. There are a number of factors, including the early Ramadan 2025 and the limited presence of live cattle from the EU due to outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease,” analysts said.
Experts explained that usually the demand for live cattle fades in November and after the New Year’s lull is restored in March under the influence of growing export demand to Arab countries. However, this year Ramadan begins on February 28, so the demand for slaughter cattle from Lebanon and Jordan has increased since the first days of January.
The industry association predicts that amid a shortage of bulls of marketable condition, a rapid decline in raw milk prices and a lack of working capital for the sowing season, including due to delays in payment for raw materials, dairy farms may begin to actively reduce their livestock.
In the first five months of the 2024-2025 marketing year (September 2024-January 2025), Ukraine exported more than 352 thousand tons of sugar to foreign markets, which is 17% more than in the same period of 2023-2024 MY, the press service of the National Association of Sugar Producers of Ukraine Ukrtsukor reported on Facebook.
The business association emphasized that the entire exported volume was directed to the world market, while in September 2023-January 2024, the share of exports to the world market was only 9.5%.
“The significant increase in the world market share in sugar exports is the result of successful efforts of Ukrainian sugar producers to find alternative markets due to restrictions imposed on Ukrainian sugar by the EU,” the industry association explained.
The main export destinations for Ukrainian sugar in September 2024-January 2025 were Turkey (19% of total exports), Libya, Somalia, Sri Lanka, and North Macedonia.
Ukrtsukr noted that since January 1, 2025, the possibility of exporting sugar from Ukraine to the EU countries has been restored. During the first 5 months of 2025, the domestic producers will be able to export 107.3 thousand tons of sugar to the EU.
As reported, in the production season of 2024, Ukrainian sugar producers produced 1.8 million tons of sugar. The volume of the domestic market in Ukraine is currently estimated at 900 thousand tons per year.
Astarta Agro-Industrial Holding, the largest sugar producer in Ukraine, exported its products to 53 countries in 2024, supplying more than 1.2 million tons of products to global markets, which is 18% more than in 2023, the company’s press service reported on Facebook.
“Despite all the challenges of 2024, our exports have become a vivid example of the resilience and professionalism of the team. We have not only maintained our positions in international markets but also expanded the geography of supplies, opening up new prospects for growth,” said Vyacheslav Chuk, Astarta’s Chief Commercial and Strategic Marketing Officer.
According to the agricultural holding, the main consumers of Astarta’s corn in 2024 were Spain, Egypt, Italy and Ireland. Soybean oil and meal were supplied mainly to the markets of Eastern Europe, as well as to Saudi Arabia and Malaysia. Sugar was mainly consumed in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and CEFTA countries.
The company plans to further expand its sales markets, optimize export logistics and increase export volumes, the agricultural holding summarized.
“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.
Exports of poultry meat brought Ukraine almost $1 billion in 2024, the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Agrarian and Land Policy reported, citing information from the State Customs Service of Ukraine.
According to the report, in 2024, the Ukrainian poultry industry demonstrated an increase in exports, which increased by 5.7%, and revenues, which increased by more than 20%.
At the same time, exports of poultry meat and edible offal reached 448.8 thousand tons, which is 5.7% more than in the previous year. Total exports amounted to $962.7 million, which is 20.4% higher than in 2023.
The main importers of Ukrainian products were the Netherlands, which purchased 23.2% of total exports. Saudi Arabia ranked second with a share of 16.1%, and Slovakia was third with 8.5%.
In 2024, Ukraine also exported 77.8 thousand tons of eggs, which is 59.4% more than a year earlier. In monetary terms, exports increased by 22.5% compared to 2023 to $74.5 million. The main buyers of Ukrainian eggs were Israel (14.1%), Poland (11.7%) and Italy (11.1%).
The growth in exports demonstrates the high competitiveness of Ukrainian products in the international market and the efficiency of domestic producers. Expanding the geography of supplies and increasing demand for Ukrainian poultry and eggs once again emphasize its quality and compliance with international standards, the MPs noted.
The Verkhovna Rada emphasized that these indicators are a positive signal for the further development of the poultry industry in Ukraine, in particular for attracting new investments and expanding export potential.
In January 2025, Ukraine exported 5 million tons of agricultural products, which is 9.7% less than the same indicator of the previous month, according to the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club (UCAB).
“For the third month, there has been a downward trend, but this is typical for the winter period in the absence of force majeure,” analysts explained.
Speaking about the structure of exports in January 2025, they noted that the exports of grains decreased by 3% to 3.5 mln tonnes (corn – 72%, wheat – 26%, barley – 2%) compared to December 2024, oilseeds – by 39% to 352 thsd tonnes. tons (soybeans – 63%, rapeseed – 29% and sunflower seeds – 6%), cake after extraction of vegetable oils – by 22% to 406.3 thsd tonnes (sunflower – 67%, soybean – 33%), other agricultural products – by 24% to 329.5 thsd tonnes.
At the same time, the export of vegetable oils increased by 1% compared to December 2024, to 424.4 thsd tonnes (sunflower oil – 89% and soybean oil – 10%).
The analysts noted that the export volumes of grains and vegetable oils remained approximately at the level of the previous month. Oilseeds (-39%) and oilcakes after extraction of vegetable oils (-22%) showed the decline.
“In the current marketing year, the vast majority of agricultural products intended for export have already been exported, in particular, wheat – 64%, corn – 55%. Accordingly, in the coming months, a further slight reduction in export shipments is possible,” UCAB predicts.
