Metinvest, Ukraine’s largest mining and metallurgical holding company, reduced steel production by 10% year-on-year to 1.455 million tons in January-September this year.
According to a press release from the parent company Metinvest B.V. on the results of its operating activities for Q3 2025, the decline in production was due to the full-scale military invasion of Ukraine.
As a result, the capacity utilization rate of the group’s plants in Ukraine was affected by factors related to security, personnel, electricity, logistics, and the economy. In 2025, Russia intensified its large-scale attacks on
Ukraine’s energy and gas infrastructure. In October, after the reporting period, this led to damage to the power supply systems at two of the group’s facilities in the mining and metallurgical segments, resulting in a decline in production.
In the third quarter of 2025, pig iron and crude steel production at Kamet Steel increased by 41% and 30% compared to the previous quarter, respectively, to 497 thousand tons and 546 thousand tons. The growth was due to the overhaul of blast furnace No. 9 in April-June 2025 and its higher productivity in the reporting period.
In the first nine months of 2025, pig iron production decreased by 6% compared to the same period last year to 1.285 million tons, mainly due to the overhaul of blast furnace No. 9 at Kamet Steel. As a result, crude steel production decreased by 10% compared to the same period last year to 1.455 million tons.
Pig iron and steel production in the third quarter of 2025 doubled compared to the previous quarter to 267 thousand tons, due to an increase in hot metal production. In the first nine months of 2025, production of semi-finished products fell by 9% year-on-year to 568,000 tons due to a decline in steel production and an increase in domestic consumption of billets at subsequent stages of production.
In the third quarter of 2025, finished product production decreased by 6% year-on-year to 591 thousand tons due to scheduled maintenance of rolling mills in Italy and Bulgaria in August. In particular, flat product production decreased by 8% to 265 thousand tons, and long product production decreased by 4% to 326 thousand tons.
In the first nine months of 2025, finished product production increased by 8% year-on-year to 1.818 million tons. In particular, flat steel production increased by 12% to 817,000 tons due to the resumption of hot-rolled coil production at the Ferriera Valsider plant (Italy), while long steel production increased by 5% to 1.001 million tons.
In the third quarter of 2025, coke production increased by 4% compared to the previous quarter to 287,000 tons after the launch of additional chambers of coke oven battery No. 2 at the Zaporizhzhya Coke Chemical Plant in June 2025. In the first nine months of 2025, coke production decreased by 3% to 821,000 tons due to the shutdown of coke oven battery No. 1 at Kametstal.
At the same time, in the third quarter of 2025, total iron ore concentrate production amounted to 3.989 million tons, which remained almost unchanged compared to the previous quarter, while commercial iron ore production increased by 4% to 3.928 million tons. Iron ore pellet production increased by 7% to 1. million tons due to the overhaul of the roasting machine at the Central Iron Ore Plant in the previous quarter, while iron ore concentrate production remained almost unchanged at 2.226 million tons.
In the first nine months of 2025, total iron ore concentrate production decreased by 4% compared to the same period last year to 11.713 million tons, as operations at the Ingulets open pit were suspended in July 2024. This was partially offset by increased production at the Hannivskyi open pit. Commercial iron ore production remained almost unchanged year-on-year at 11.456 million tonnes, including a 6% decline in iron ore concentrate production and a 9% increase in pellet production.
In December 2024, operations at the Pokrovskoye Coal production site were suspended due to intensified hostilities and developments on the front line. Subsequently, due to power shortages and a further deterioration in the security situation, both the mine and the enrichment plant suspended operations.
In addition, the group is considering the sale of United Coal (US) and its exclusion from its financial statements for the first half of 2025. This is due to the negative impact of geological difficulties, depletion of coal reserves, higher logistics costs, and a steady decline in coking coal prices.
As reported, Metinvest increased steel production by 4% in 2024 compared to 2024, to 2.099 million tons, while total iron ore production increased by 42%, to 15.733 million tons. At the same time, commercial iron ore concentrate production grew by 58% to 14.826 million tons. Coke output in 2024 decreased by 10% to 1.122 million tons. Metinvest increased its total production of pellets by 14% to 6.022 million tons, but reduced its total output of coking coal concentrate by 22% to 4.277 million tons.
Metinvest is a vertically integrated group of mining and metallurgical enterprises. Its enterprises are located in Ukraine, in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk regions, as well as in the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The main shareholders of the holding are SCM Group (71.24%) and Smart Holding (23.76%). Metinvest Holding LLC is the managing company of the Metinvest Group.
According to preliminary data, Ukrainian metallurgical enterprises increased their total rolled steel production in January-October of this year by 0.5% compared to the same period last year, from 5.264 million tons to 5.377 million tons.
According to information from the Ukrmetallurgprom association, steel production during this period decreased by 4.9% to 6.172 million tons, but pig iron production increased by 8.4% to 6.484 million tons.
In October, 534,000 tons of rolled products, 649,000 tons of steel, and 692,000 tons of pig iron were produced, while in the previous month, 587,500 tons of rolled products, 611,000 tons of steel, and 683,200 tons of pig iron were produced.
As reported, in 2024, Ukraine increased its total rolled steel production by 15.8% compared to 2023, to 6.222 million tons from 5.372 million tons. Steel smelting during this period increased by 21.6% to 7.575 million tons, and pig iron by 18.1% to 7.090 million tons.
In 2023, Ukraine increased its total rolled steel production by 0.4% compared to 2022, to 5.372 million tons, but reduced its steel production by 0.6%, to 6.228 million tons, and its pig iron production by 6.1%, to 6.003 million tons.
In 2022, the country reduced its production of total rolled steel by 72% compared to 2021, to 5.350 million tons, steel by 70.7%, to 6.263 million tons, and pig iron by 69.8%, to 6.391 million tons.
In pre-war 2021, 21.165 million tons of pig iron (103.6% compared to 2020), 21.366 million tons of steel (103.6%), and 19.079 million tons of rolled products (103.5%) were produced.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), global wheat production in 2025 is forecast to reach around 809.7 million tons, which is 1.3% higher than in 2024.
The growth is expected to be driven by increased yields in Canada, Kazakhstan, China, and India, while southern Europe and North Africa remain at risk of lower production due to drought.
“The outlook for the global wheat market remains generally positive, and global stocks at the end of the season will remain stable despite active exports from the Black Sea region,” the FAO Cereal Supply and Demand Brief notes in its October review.
Top 20 countries in the world by wheat production in 2025 (FAO and USDA estimates)
These twenty countries produce more than 90% of the world’s wheat.
Despite overall growth in yields, global wheat stocks could decline by 1.6% to around 312 million tons by the end of 2025. This is due to increased domestic consumption in Asia and the Middle East, as well as active exports from Russia, Ukraine, and Australia.
Average global wheat prices remain volatile, but FAO analysts predict their relative stabilization while maintaining harvest and stock volumes.
Despite the war, Ukraine retains its status as one of the largest grain exporters. According to estimates by the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, in the 2024–2025 marketing year, the country exported about 15 million tons of wheat, supplying it to Egypt, Indonesia, Spain, Turkey, and Tunisia.
Ukraine ranks 11th–12th in the world in wheat production and is among the top five global exporters thanks to its high yields and logistics routes through the Danube and Baltic ports.
A detailed overview of the world’s major wheat producers from 1970 to 2024 can be found in the Experts Club analytical video: Watch on YouTube
The situation on the Ukrainian butter market is deteriorating after active summer exports, company warehouses are filling up, domestic sales are becoming increasingly difficult, and exports are facing additional challenges, according to industry analytical agency Infagro.
“Currently, only those producers who are willing to significantly reduce prices can sell their products consistently. These are usually companies that lack working capital. However, the current price level is unprofitable for most producers operating in the butter segment, along with skimmed milk powder or casein,” analysts explained.
They pointed out that due to the rise in raw material prices, production is becoming less profitable: the purchase prices for milk required to break even remain unattainable for most companies.
At the same time, at the end of October, there was a noticeable decrease in the price of block butter, while manufacturers of packaged products are in a slightly better position, but competition in this market is intensifying.
To increase sales, companies are forced to offer promotional discounts, which negatively affects profitability.
“The situation with exports is also difficult. Some companies are lowering prices to stay in foreign markets, particularly in Moldova. Demand for Ukrainian butter in the Caucasus remains, but sales volumes there are limited,” experts noted.
According to their information, expectations of additional opportunities after the introduction of new duty-free quotas to the EU have not been met—demand from European traders is accompanied by lower price offers that do not cover production costs.
Due to the unprofitability of production, some factories have already reduced or temporarily suspended butter production. As a result, production volumes in October were lower than last year, which is the first such case in recent times, Infagro concluded.
In 2025, domestic pasta producers will, for the first time in the history of Ukraine’s independence, manufacture 50% of their products from durum wheat grown by domestic farmers, according to Rodion Rybchinsky, director of the Ukrainian Flour Millers Association.
“This year, for the first time, 50% of the durum wheat that we (pasta producers – IF-U) previously purchased abroad will be replaced by domestic wheat. If this trend continues, I think that Ukraine will stop importing durum wheat within the next two years,” he said at the Agro2Food Profit forum in Kyiv on Wednesday.
The expert attributed this import substitution to climate change in the country. Currently, the Mykolaiv, Odesa, Khmelnytskyi, and partially Vinnytsia regions are suitable for durum wheat production due to global warming, Rybchynskyi said.
The head of the industry association suggested that it is quite realistic that domestic processing enterprises will not be able to cope with the volume of durum wheat grown by farmers in the near future.
Rybchynskyi recalled that a mill is currently being built in the Lviv region to process durum wheat into pasta. At the same time, he noted that its capacity may not be sufficient to process all the durum wheat grown by farmers.
The head of the Ukrainian Flour Millers Association added that Ukrainian producers will definitely export such products, but the export volumes are unlikely to be comparable to those of Italy.
As reported, the private enterprise “Zakhidny Bug” is building Ukraine’s first mill that will process durum wheat, as well as a pasta factory. The mill is scheduled to start operating in October 2025, and the factory in September. The design capacity of the first stage of the mill is 80 tons per day for durum wheat and 150 tons per day for soft wheat varieties. The second phase will increase capacity by another 200 tons for durum and 300 tons for soft varieties. The total investment in the project will amount to UAH 1 billion.
Durum (Triticum durum – Latin) is a hard wheat with a high protein and gluten content, making it an ideal ingredient for pasta, bread, and other bakery products.
Elvorti (Kropyvnytskyi), a manufacturer of sowing and soil cultivation equipment, earned nearly UAH 1.5 million in net profit in July-September 2025, compared to a loss of nearly UAH 6.4 million in the same period of 2024.
This result is based on the company’s interim financial report for nine months, published on Wednesday, according to which it increased its loss by 27.8% compared to January-September 2024, to UAH 15.9 million.
Earlier it was reported that in the first half of this year, the loss amounted to UAH 17.5 million (almost three times more than in the same period last year).
According to the report, Elvorti increased its net income by 18.5% in January-September, to UAH 502.8 million.
As reported, in January-June 2025, the company’s net income increased by 27.8% compared to the same period in 2024, to UAH 339 million. Thus, in the third quarter of this year, it increased by 3% to UAH 163.7 million.
According to the report, in the third quarter, the company exported products worth UAH 52.4 million, which accounted for 32% of sales for this period (in the second quarter – UAH 25.1 million). The main export markets are Kazakhstan, Moldova, Bulgaria, Latvia, and Romania.
In July-September, in particular, 115 seeders worth UAH 61.8 million, one cultivator worth UAH 616,000, 91 harrows worth UAH 30.4 million, four sprayers worth UAH 3.5 million, and two construction and road machines worth UAH 5.3 million were manufactured.
The average selling prices of seed drills were UAH 618,200, cultivators – UAH 326,600, harrows – UAH 357,600, and sprayers – UAH 1 million.
The company notes that Elvorti’s range of equipment is in seasonal demand, particularly seed drills and sprayers.
The main buyers of the equipment were, in particular, the Ukrainian companies “Tekhnotorg Don,” “Agro-Resource,” and “Agroprommontazh,” as well as Agropiese TGR Grup (Moldova) and Optikom OOD (Bulgaria).
Elvorti JSC, part of businessman Pavel Shtutman’s Elvorti Group, specializes in the production of sowing and soil cultivation equipment: seeders for sowing grain and row crops, cultivators for continuous and inter-row soil cultivation, and disc harrows for resource-saving soil cultivation.
Last year, the company reduced its losses by more than three times compared to 2023, to UAH 27.6 million, while its net income grew by 16.3% to UAH 570.5 million. This year, it plans to increase its revenue to UAH 712 million and break even.
As of September 30, 2025, the company employed 373 people.
