In its July WASDE report, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) raised its forecast for wheat production in Ukraine in the 2026/27 marketing year to 24 million metric tons from 23.5 million metric tons, which had been expected a month earlier.
According to the WASDE report, released on July 10, 2026, the forecast for global wheat production in the 2026/27 marketing year remained virtually unchanged at 819.97 million metric tons, compared to 820.06 million metric tons in June. At the same time, the USDA notes that the wheat production forecast was raised for Russia and Ukraine due to favorable conditions for winter wheat.
The USDA raised its forecast for Ukrainian wheat exports to 14.5 million metric tons from 14 million metric tons a month earlier. According to the report, global wheat exports for the 2026/27 marketing year have been raised to 213.1 million metric tons due to increased shipments from Argentina, Russia, and Ukraine, which more than offset the downward revision to Canada’s export forecast.
In the WASDE tables for the 2025/26 marketing year, Ukraine’s wheat production is estimated at 24.1 million metric tons, with exports at 14 million metric tons. In the 2024/25 marketing year, according to the USDA, Ukraine produced 23.4 million metric tons of wheat and exported 15.75 million metric tons.
The revision of the Ukrainian forecast comes amid a tighter global supply-demand balance. The USDA lowered its forecast for global ending wheat stocks in the 2026/27 marketing year to 272.8 million metric tons, which is 2.6 million metric tons less than the June estimate. At the same time, the forecast for global consumption was raised to 826.2 million metric tons.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture had previously forecast the 2026 grain harvest at approximately 60.4 million metric tons, including about 22.4 million metric tons of wheat, about 4.7 million metric tons of barley, and about 31.6 million metric tons of corn.
According to the State Statistics Service, in 2025, Ukraine’s wheat harvest increased by 3.6% to 23.34 million metric tons, and the corn harvest rose by 14.6% to 30.9 million metric tons, while barley production fell by 2.4% to 5.2 million metric tons.
Ukraine remains one of the key wheat exporters in the Black Sea region; however, export volumes in the 2026/27 marketing year will depend not only on the harvest but also on the operation of the maritime corridor, logistics via the Danube and western borders, ship insurance, and the security situation regarding port infrastructure.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) left its forecast for corn production in Ukraine for the 2026/27 marketing year unchanged at 30 million metric tons in its July WASDE report.
The forecast for Ukrainian corn exports also remained unchanged at 23 million metric tons. According to the WASDE tables, the July estimate for Ukraine for the 2026/27 marketing year indicates production of 30 million metric tons, exports of 23 million metric tons, and ending stocks of 2.06 million metric tons.
For the 2025/26 marketing year, the USDA estimates Ukraine’s corn harvest at 30.9 million metric tons and exports at 23 million metric tons. Thus, compared to the current season, the new forecast suggests a slight decline in production but maintains export potential at the same level.
In its global corn balance sheet, the USDA lowered its production forecast for the 2026/27 marketing year to 1.297 billion metric tons in July, down from 1.300 billion metric tons a month earlier. The main decline is attributed to the European Union and Kenya, while the forecast for Ukraine remained unchanged.
Global corn exports for the 2026/27 marketing year, on the other hand, were raised to 209.88 million metric tons from 207.61 million metric tons in June. The USDA also lowered its forecast for global ending corn stocks to 275.26 million metric tons, down from 281.22 million metric tons in the June report.
The WASDE summary notes that foreign corn production has been reduced due to deteriorating prospects in the EU and Kenya. For the EU, the reduction is primarily due to the heatwave in France and a lower forecast for Hungary.
The Ukrainian corn forecast remains sensitive to weather conditions in the second half of the summer. Corn is more heavily dependent on precipitation and temperatures in July and August, so the actual harvest may differ significantly from the USDA’s current estimate.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has lowered its forecast for Ukraine’s real gross domestic product growth in 2026 to 2.2% due to the protracted war, but notes that macroeconomic stability has been maintained thanks to external support.
“This is slightly lower than the 2.5% forecast published in February, but should hostilities ease and post-war reconstruction begin, the forecast for 2027 remains unchanged at 4.0%,” according to the EBRD’s “Regional Economic Prospects” (REP) report, published on Wednesday.
The bank emphasizes that Ukraine is maintaining macroeconomic stability even in the fifth year of Russia’s aggressive war thanks to significant external financing. The outlook continues to depend largely on the course of the war and the availability of external financial support.
“The main downside risk to the forecast is linked to the energy crisis caused by the conflict in the Middle East, which could significantly worsen Ukraine’s already unstable energy situation,” the report states.
The EBRD attributes the slowdown in economic growth to 1.8% in 2025 and the weak start this year to ongoing wartime constraints: labor shortages and persistent attacks on energy infrastructure have disrupted industrial activity and logistics, while broader supply chain issues have limited production.
The bank notes that inflation has also begun to rise again after slowing to 7.4% in January 2026 following a period of tighter monetary policy and relative exchange rate stability. Higher global energy prices linked to the conflict in the Middle East are adding new pressure, increasing costs for businesses and households and contributing to a resurgence of inflationary momentum.
According to the EBRD, fiscal support remains crucial. Ukraine’s budget deficit, excluding grants, reached 23.6% of GDP in 2025 and is projected to remain elevated at 19.3% of GDP in 2026, reflecting exceptionally high spending on defense and social services. These needs are financed largely through official external support, which continues to underpin macroeconomic stability. The allocated external financing of over EUR110 billion for 2026–27 is expected to mitigate short-term risks.
The Bank notes that it is Ukraine’s largest institutional investor and has significantly increased its support in response to the full-scale war: since its onset in February 2022, the EBRD has allocated nearly EUR10.0 billion to Ukraine.
As reported, the National Bank lowered its GDP growth forecast for this year to 1.3% from 1.8% in April.
The government’s forecast, included in the 2026 state budget, currently projects 2.4% growth, but Economy Minister Oleksiy Sobolev recently announced plans to revise it downward.
According to the State Statistics Service, Ukraine’s GDP growth slowed to 1.8% in 2025 from 2.9% in 2024 and 5.5% in 2023, following a 28.8% decline in 2022—the first year of full-scale Russian aggression.
The Ukrainian Grain Association (UGA) has raised its estimate of the potential 2026 grain and oilseed harvest by 1 million tons—to 83.6 million tons, which is 11.6% higher than the 2025 figure (74.9 million tons)—due to increased yields of corn and sunflower, the UGA press service reported on Monday.
“With such a harvest, exports in the new 2026/2027 season could potentially reach 50.8 million tons (the export estimate for the current season is 42.3 million tons). However, this is an optimistic scenario, the realization of which will be possible only if Ukraine’s logistical problems do not worsen due to Russia’s aggression and its constant bombing of Ukrainian transport infrastructure and energy facilities,” the statement noted.
According to the UGA’s estimate, the wheat harvest in 2026 could reach 22.8 million tons (22.5 million tons in 2025), and its exports in the 2026/2027 marketing year (MY) could reach 17 million tons compared to the expected 13.5 million tons in the current season.
The UGA estimates the barley harvest in 2026 at 5.2 million tons (4.9 million tons in 2025), with likely exports of about 2.2 million tons, compared to 1.6 million tons in the current season.
According to the UGA’s forecast, the corn harvest in 2026 will total 32.1 million tons (31.1 million tons in 2025), and exports could reach 27 million tons compared to 22 million tons in the current season.
“Expectations for this year’s corn harvest are positive thanks to favorable weather conditions so far,” the association explained.
The UGA expects the sunflower harvest in 2026 to reach 13.3 million tons, compared to 11.1 million tons in 2025.
“Traditionally, almost all sunflowers will be processed in Ukraine—13.5 million tons. Exports will not exceed 50,000 tons,” the statement said.
In 2026, the rapeseed harvest, according to UGA forecasts, could reach 3.4 million tons compared to 3.2 million tons in 2025, while exports for the 2026/2027 marketing year may amount to only 1.9 million tons.
This year’s soybean harvest is expected to reach 4.9 million tons, which is less than last year’s 5 million tons, while potential exports are projected at 2.3 million tons compared to 2.9 million tons in the current season.
As reported, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) forecasts wheat and corn exports from Ukraine in the 2026/2027 season at 13 million tons and 23 million tons, respectively, which is 0.5 million tons and 1 million tons more than in the current season.
At the same time, the USDA expects wheat production to decline to 23 million tons from 24.1 million tons last year, and corn production to decline to 30 million tons from 30.9 million tons last year.
In Ukraine on Wednesday, May 27, there will be scattered showers overnight in the northern regions and widespread showers during the day; thunderstorms are expected in the central and southern regions and in the Carpathian foothills, according to the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center.
Winds will be westerly and northwesterly, 7-12 m/s, with gusts of 15-20 m/s during the day across Ukraine.
Temperatures will range from 11-16°C at night and 18-23°C during the day, with highs of 23-28°C in Zakarpattia and the south of the country.
In Kyiv, no precipitation is expected on Wednesday night, with brief showers during the day. Winds will be northwesterly, 7-12 m/s, with gusts of 15-20 m/s during the day. Nighttime temperatures will range from 14-16°, and daytime temperatures from 21-23°.
According to data from the Boris Sreznevsky Central Geophysical Observatory in Kyiv, on May 27, the highest daytime temperature was 33.6° in 2007, and the lowest nighttime temperature was 1.7° in 1904.
On Thursday, May 28, light, brief showers and thunderstorms are expected at night in the south, east of the country, and in the Carpathians, and during the day across Ukraine, except for the southern regions and Zakarpattia.
The wind will be northwesterly, 7–12 m/s, with gusts of 15–20 m/s in some areas during the day in most regions.
Temperatures will range from 7–12° at night to 13–18° during the day; in Zakarpattia and the south of the country, temperatures will range from 11–16° at night to 18–23° during the day.
In Kyiv on Thursday, no precipitation at night, with light, brief showers during the day. Wind from the northwest, 7-12 m/s. Nighttime temperatures 10-12°, daytime 15-17°.
Ukraine plans to increase biomethane production to approximately 150 million cubic meters by 2026, and a production level of 500 million cubic meters is a realistic goal by 2030, according to a forecast by the Ministry of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture following a meeting with the European Investment Bank
“Ukraine has significant resources for producing biomethane from agricultural waste, livestock byproducts, straw, and sugar beets, which meets European requirements for ‘green’ fuel,” Deputy Minister Taras Vysotsky is quoted as saying in a press release on the ministry’s website.
He emphasized that exports to the EU should become the main driver of market development. The Deputy Minister noted that in 2025, Ukrainian private producers exported over 11.2 million cubic meters of biomethane via Ukraine’s gas transmission system for the first time.
Among the key challenges, he cited integration into the European certification system and the creation of the necessary technical database.
Following the meeting, the parties agreed to continue coordinating their work and further developing priority areas of cooperation in the fields of land reclamation, water resource management, and the development of sustainable agricultural infrastructure, as well as the biomethane sector.
As reported, on April 23, 2026, the government approved the Biomethane Production Development Program for the period up to 2035, which calls for increasing production to 2.1 billion cubic meters over 10 years.
According to data from the “Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine” (GTSOU), as of early February 2026, the declared capacity of biomethane producers in Ukraine, based on issued technical specifications for connection to the gas transmission system, stood at 11,000 cubic meters per hour, which equaled 96 million cubic meters per year.
