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.
The agricultural holding “Continental Farmers Group” (CFG) has begun harvesting early grain crops and rapeseed on an area of over 70,000 hectares, the company’s press service reported on Thursday.
According to the report, winter wheat will be harvested from 35,300 hectares, winter rapeseed from 26,500 hectares, and winter barley from 8,500 hectares.
“We are starting with the harvest of winter barley in our southern divisions and, with a few days’ interval, will gradually cover all of the company’s clusters. Next, the combines will move on to winter rapeseed and wheat,” the press service quoted Konstantin Shityuk, Chief Operating Officer of Continental Farmers Group, as saying.
The company is deploying 745 units of its own and leased equipment for the harvest. Specifically, this includes 95 combine harvesters, 66 of which are company-owned, including modern combines purchased recently.
The grain harvest will be transported by 650 trucks. Transloading equipment will also be in operation; it has been specially retrofitted with new technical systems for cargo weight control ahead of the harvest.
“The climatic conditions of the current season have stimulated the early ripening of winter crops. According to weather forecasts, the first weeks of the harvest will be marked by dry and hot weather, creating conditions for prompt and uninterrupted harvesting without the risk of rain-related downtime,” the press service reported.
The company also reported that it had secured the necessary fuel reserves well in advance to carry out the harvest in full. Meanwhile, the decline in fuel prices in June is helping to reduce operating costs during the harvest campaign.
As previously reported, the agricultural holding “Continental Farmers Group” (CFG) has joined the global structure of the international agri-food company Olam Agri as a separate business unit.
“Continental Farmers Group” was established in November 2018 as a result of the merger between the ‘Mriya’ agricultural holding and CFG, following “Mriya’s” agreement with the international investor Salic UK regarding the sale of assets.
Continental Farmers Group operates in the Ternopil, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Khmelnytskyi, and Chernivtsi regions, grows grain and oilseed crops, engages in primary and secondary potato processing, and employs approximately 2,600 people.
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 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.
Global rice prices continue to rise amid growing concerns about this year’s harvest, according to Bloomberg.
Thai white rice, considered the benchmark, rose to $446 per ton on Wednesday, according to the Thai Rice Exporters Association. This is the highest level in over a year—since February 2025.
Prices have been rising for the third consecutive week. This was driven by a forecast from the U.S. Department of Agriculture predicting a decline in global rice production in the 2026-2027 crop year for the first time in 11 years.
Surge in fertilizer and fuel costs have raised concerns that some farmers in Southeast Asia may decide not to plant crops this year. India, the world’s largest exporter of this crop, also faces the prospect of below-average monsoon rains, which could negatively impact yields.
Rice is a staple food in many Asian countries, so rising prices could accelerate inflation. Rice prices in recent years have remained well below the multi-year highs reached in 2024, the agency notes.
European apricot producers expect a partial recovery in the harvest in 2026 following a poor season in 2025, according to an industry forecast by Europech.
According to European industry estimates, apricot production in Europe in 2026 could reach about 505,000 tons, which is approximately 6% more than in 2025 and 4% higher than the 2020–2024 average. At the same time, market participants note that harvest potential remains uneven across countries and regions.
Weather was the key factor of the season. In 2026, there were no large-scale destructive frosts in Europe; however, the return of cold weather in late March and early April affected some orchards. Blooming was generally satisfactory, but frequent rains in some areas hampered fruit set. Therefore, northern regions may recover from the low volumes of 2025, while more subdued dynamics are expected in southern Europe.
For the market, this means an increase in supply, but not a complete elimination of risks. European exporters are already warning that the season could be challenging in terms of sales: as volumes increase, competition will intensify between Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey, and other producers. This could put pressure on prices, especially in the fresh apricot and processing raw material segments.
