In 2025, Ukraine nearly doubled its exports of organic walnuts compared to the previous year—from 2,600 to 4,900 tons— and their value more than doubled—from EUR7.9 million to EUR16.6 million, according to a study on organic berry and nut exports in 2024–2025, which was presented at the forum “Development of Ukraine’s Berry and Nut Export Sector” on June 10 in Kyiv.
“Demand is stable. Organic walnuts from Ukraine are exported to nine countries, including the Netherlands, Austria, Romania, France, Germany, and Italy,“ said Iryna Fedorchenko, a leading export specialist at the organic production certification body ”Organic Standard,” during the study’s presentation.
At the same time, she emphasized that Ukraine is not yet fully utilizing the potential for exporting value-added products, as organic walnuts are supplied to foreign markets primarily as raw materials.
“All organic walnuts are exported in their raw form. We have an open niche for exporting finished products,” she noted.
According to Fedorchenko, importing countries purchase Ukrainian raw materials and then process, refine, and repackage them at their own facilities.
The Netherlands was the largest importer of Ukrainian organic walnuts in 2025, purchasing 1,950 tons of product worth EUR6 million. The top three buyers also included Austria—986 tons worth EUR2.6 million—and Romania—724 tons worth EUR3.6 million. In addition, Ukrainian organic walnuts were supplied to France, Germany, Italy, Moldova, Poland, and the United Kingdom.
Fedorchenko also noted that Ukraine exports three types of organic nuts—walnuts, almonds, and hazelnuts. At the same time, walnuts account for the lion’s share of exports, with most of the organic walnuts shipped abroad coming from wild-growing orchards.
According to the study, in 2025 the total area of certified organic nut orchards in Ukraine was 469 hectares, compared to 556 hectares the previous year. Of this, 383 hectares were planted with organic walnuts (470 hectares in 2024), 84.9 hectares with hazelnuts, and 1 hectare with almonds. The number of organic nut producers decreased to 17 from 19 the previous year.
The study was conducted by the certification body “Organic Standard” in collaboration with the Office for Entrepreneurship and Export Development and the national project “Dія.Бізнес” with support from Switzerland as part of the Global Quality and Standards Program in Ukraine (GQSP Ukraine), implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
The cancellation by the UK of all duties and quotas on products from Ukraine to support it in the face of a military invasion by the Russian Federation may allow Ukrainian farmers to increase their presence in the UK markets of poultry meat, walnuts, honey, cranberries, blueberries and peas.
The list of high-margin agricultural products that Ukraine could supply to the UK at a time when the export of its traditional agricultural raw materials is blocked by the aggressor country of the Russian Federation was published on the website of the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club (UCAB) on Wednesday evening.
According to the results of 2021, agricultural products worth $553 million were exported from Ukraine to the UK, including sunflower oil (31% of export earnings), rapeseed (28%) and corn (24%). However, the supply of traditional agricultural crops in 2022 is difficult due to the naval blockade of Ukraine by Russian warships, as a result of which the country can potentially increase the export of a number of other agricultural products by road.
Ukrainian farmers, in particular, can focus their export efforts on the supply of poultry meat to the UK. The volume of its export in 2021 was 2,600 tonnes. The share of Ukraine of UK imports is 1%. Main competitors: the Netherlands, Poland, and Belgium.
The export of walnuts without shells is also promising. The volume of its export in 2021 was 0700 tonnes. The share of Ukraine of UK imports is 6%. Main competitors: the United States, Germany, and China.
According to the UCAB, Ukrainian farmers can increase honey exports to the UK (800 tonnes were delivered in 2021). The share of Ukraine of UK imports is 1%. Main competitors: China, Poland, and Mexico.
The export of cranberries and blueberries is also promising (supplies in 2021 – 200 tonnes). The share of Ukraine of UK imports is 0.3%. Main competitors: Spain, Peru, and Chile.
Ukraine exported 4,900 tonnes of peas to the UK in 2021, which amounted to 12% of the UK market in 2021. At the same time, Russia is Ukraine’s main competitor in this market, which, taking into account the economic sanctions imposed against it, adds an advantage to Ukrainian suppliers.
“Now the railways and seaports of neighboring countries are heavily loaded due to the export of grain crops, the volumes of which we have the largest. Therefore, to increase export earnings, we should focus on the export of goods that have a higher price with less weight and thus export by road,” UCAB cites a promising export model from its analyst Svitlana Lytvyn.
BERRIES, HONEY, PEAS, POULTRY, UK, UKRAINIAN FARMERS, WALNUTS
Exports of walnuts from Ukraine in 2017 totaled 31,000 tonnes or $101 million, the Ukrsadprom association has reported.
“Traditionally the leading exported goods were walnuts ($101 million) and frozen and boiled fruit ($61 million). Businessmen received large revenue from supplies of various berries – $11 million, drupaceous fruit ($10 million) and apples and pears ($7 million),” Ukrsadprom Head Dmytro Kroshka told Interfax-Ukraine.
Exports of walnuts in kind fell from 40,000 tonnes to 31,000 tonnes, and exports of frozen, boiled and raw fruit remained at 42,000 tonnes.
The association said that revenue grew thanks to growth of exports prices of walnuts, first of all, shelled nuts. Exports of pomaceous fruit grew from 14,000 tonnes to 24,000 tonnes, thanks to apples, and drupaceous fruit from 2,000 tonnes to 12,000 tonnes, mainly thanks to cherries and plums.
In addition, blueberry and honeysuckle are becoming more popular in Ukraine, as well as organic fruit. Industrial enterprises planted currant, blackberry, chokeberry trees and hazel nut trees.
“These crops will soon take a worthy place in the structure of production and exports, since their planting is not an experiment, but it is connected with the demand for them from new partners,” the expert said.
In general, according to Ukrsadprom, the export of fruit and berry products in 2017 exceeded $195 million, having increased by almost a third compared to 2016.
“The main achievement in the export for Ukraine was the creation of a surplus in trade balance for the traditional products for us, as well as an almost twofold increase in the average selling price. The EU countries have become the main vector of the export of Ukrainian fruit and berry products,” the association said.
