Ukraine’s industrial poultry sector remains highly concentrated: by 2027, the six largest vertically integrated companies will account for more than 75% of chicken meat production, according to a forecast by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
MHP remains the largest player, accounting for well over half of Ukraine’s industrial chicken production, according to the USDA FAS report Poultry and Products Annual, published on August 19, 2026.
Industrial broiler farms accounted for about 90% of Ukraine’s total chicken production in 2025. Another 8% came from household farms, and about 2% came from culled laying hens, parent stock, and other categories of poultry.
The USDA expects the role of industrial production to continue to grow, while the share of household farms will gradually decline.
Despite MHP’s dominance, the U.S. agency characterizes the Ukrainian market as competitive. Several medium-sized producers launched expansion and productivity improvement programs in 2025–2026, and some of the new capacity is expected to enter the market in 2026–2027.
Vertical integration allows companies to simultaneously engage in poultry farming, feed production, grain and oilseed cultivation, and processing, which helps offset price and military risks. The industry’s growth is currently financed primarily through companies’ own funds, as Ukrainian businesses’ access to international capital markets remains limited.
At the same time, the country’s largest producer continues its active international expansion.
In July 2025, MHP acquired 92% of Spain’s Grupo UVESA for EUR 270 million. According to USDA estimates, following the transaction, the group controls more than 10% of the Spanish poultry market, and the acquired capacity adds approximately 160,000 metric tons of chicken meat per year.
Sales in MHP’s European segment exceeded $1 billion by the end of 2025.
In May 2026, MHP acquired a 70% stake in Th. Nitsiakos AVEE, Greece’s largest vertically integrated chicken producer, with an option to acquire the remaining 30%.
The USDA reports that the Greek company’s revenue in 2025 was nearly EUR540 million, and the transaction is expected to be completed in several tranches by December 2028.
The number of Ukrainian enterprises with access to the European Union market is also growing. In 2026, the number of Ukrainian producers, processors, poultry slaughterhouses, and cold storage facilities approved by the EU increased by two, bringing the total to 19.
Among the most notable new entrants, the USDA highlights the Lutsk Agricultural Company, part of the Avesterra Group. According to the company’s management, it is implementing a large-scale expansion program with the aim of intensifying competition with MHP in both domestic and international markets.
The USDA forecasts that chicken meat production in Ukraine will increase from 1.386 million metric tons in 2025 to 1.48 million metric tons in 2026 and 1.54 million metric tons in 2027. The bulk of this growth is expected to come from industrial enterprises in the central and western regions of Ukraine.
Source: USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, Ukraine: Poultry and Products Annual, report UP2026-0022.
Retail sales in Ukraine in July 2026 increased by 4% compared to June, and year-over-year growth stood at 8.7%, according to data from the State Statistics Service.
The July data indicate that consumer activity remains fairly high in the Ukrainian domestic market.
Specifically, retail sales by legal entities rose by 3.7% in July compared to June and by 8.8% compared to July 2025.
From January through July, the country’s retail trade turnover increased by 9% year-over-year and reached approximately 1.7 trillion hryvnia in nominal terms.
Retail trade turnover for retail enterprises grew slightly faster over the seven-month period—by 9.1%.
By comparison, for the full year of 2025, Ukraine’s retail trade turnover increased by 8.1%.
Thus, after the first seven months of 2026, the retail market’s growth rate remains slightly higher than last year’s figure.
Future retail trends will depend on real household incomes, inflation, the labor market situation, and energy risks during the fall and winter months.
The State Statistics Service provides data excluding territories temporarily occupied by Russia and parts of the country where hostilities are ongoing or have taken place.
Source: https://stat.gov.ua/uk/releases/prodazh-i-zapasy-tovariv-u-torhoviy-merezhi-misyachna-01-072026
According to Experts.news, in 2024 Ukraine ranked 35th in the world in terms of the number of patent applications filed, with 2,559 applications, while China remains the undisputed global leader with 1.828 million applications, according to an analysis of global patent activity prepared by Volodymyr Khaustov, scientific secretary of the State Institution “Institute of Economics and Forecasting of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine,” and published by the Experts Club Information and Analytical Center.
Ranking of Countries by Number of Patent Applications in 2024
Source: World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), World Intellectual Property Indicators, Table A60 “Patent applications by office and origin, 2024”; calculations and systematization are presented in a study by Volodymyr Khaustov and the Experts Club analytical center.
Paper and cardboard production by major enterprises in Ukraine’s pulp and paper industry in January–July 2026 fell by 2.9–3% compared to the same period in 2025, despite improved performance in July.
This is according to data from the UkrPapir association.
Paper production alone fell by 8.2% over the seven-month period, while cardboard production fell by 1.2%.
Production of corrugated cardboard boxes fell by 1.6%, while wallpaper production decreased by 6.3%.
At the same time, production of toilet paper rolls increased by 7% compared to January–July of last year.
Production of certain types of sanitary and hygiene products grew even faster. Production of 100% cellulose toilet paper rose by approximately 20.4% over the seven-month period, while production of paper towels in rolls increased by 9.5%.
Notebook production also showed positive growth. Over the seven-month period, it increased by 11%.
Meanwhile, the industry’s largest segment—cardboard and packaging materials—already shifted to significant growth in July. Cardboard output for the month increased by 11.2% year-over-year, including a 16% increase in containerboard.
The total monetary value of commercial output by companies in the industry for January–July increased by 19.3% compared to the same period in 2025.
Thus, while physical production volumes of paper and cardboard for the first seven months remain below last year’s levels, the industry’s revenue is growing significantly faster. At the same time, July statistics point to a recovery in the production of cardboard and certain categories of consumer paper products.
Among the largest enterprises providing statistics to the association are the Kyiv Cardboard and Paper Mill, the Trypillya Packaging Plant, the Kokhavyn Paper Mill, “VGP” (TM “Ruta”), “Poninkivska KPF-Ukraine,” and the Lviv-based “Cardboard and Paper Company.”
In January–July 2026, Ukraine imported 28,300 metric tons of cheese, which is 24.7% more than during the same period last year, while exports of Ukrainian cheese rose by only 1.2%—to 8,200 metric tons.
This is according to data from the State Customs Service, cited by the Association of Milk Producers (AMP) in a publication dated August 26.
Thus, according to calculations based on AMM data, the physical volume of cheese imports was approximately 3.5 times greater than exports, and the difference between imports and exports reached about 20,100 metric tons.
The gap in monetary terms is even more pronounced. The value of cheese imports over the seven-month period totaled $168.8 million, an increase of 17.9%, while exports brought Ukraine $37.4 million, which is only 0.5% more than last year’s figure.
Thus, imports exceeded exports in monetary terms by approximately 4.5 times, and the trade deficit in cheese amounted to about $131.4 million.
The data provided by the APM also shows that the average estimated cost of imported cheese was about $6,000 per metric ton, while that of exported cheese was about $4,600 per metric ton.
At the same time, imports in physical terms are growing significantly faster than their value: the volume increased by 24.7%, while procurement costs rose by 17.9%. This indicates a decrease in the average calculated import value per metric ton by approximately 5% compared to January–July of last year.
For comparison: Ukraine’s total merchandise imports in January–July 2026 amounted to $58.1 billion, while exports totaled $24.1 billion, according to the State Customs Service.
Poland, Germany, and the Netherlands remain the main suppliers of cheese to the Ukrainian market, while Ukrainian products are mainly exported to Moldova, Kazakhstan, and Germany.
Original source: Association of Milk Producers, citing data from the State Customs Service.
In July 2026, Ukrainian pulp and paper companies increased paper and cardboard production by 5.2% compared to July of last year, reaching 55,300 metric tons, according to data from the UkrPapir association.
Compared to June of this year, production rose by 5.3%.
The main driver was cardboard production, which increased by 11.2% year-over-year to 43,560 metric tons. In particular, the output of packaging cardboard, including paper for corrugating, rose by 16% to 36,360 metric tons.
At the same time, paper production in July fell by 12.5% compared to July 2025, to 11,740 metric tons.
The bulk of this was base paper for sanitary and hygiene products—10,620 metric tons, which is 9.2% less than a year earlier. Production of writing and printing paper nearly halved, falling to 64 metric tons.
Production of corrugated cardboard boxes totaled 50.06 million square meters, which is 2.5% less than in July of last year.
Despite mixed trends in individual product categories, the industry continued to grow in monetary terms. The value of commercial output from enterprises that submitted data to the association reached 3.056 billion UAH in July, an increase of 28.8% year-over-year and 3.3% compared to June.
The “UkrPapir” statistics include, in particular, the Kyiv Cardboard and Paper Mill, the Trypillya Packaging Plant, the Kokhavyn Paper Mill, “VGP” (TM “Ruta”), “Poninkivska KPF-Ukraine,” and the Lviv-based “Cardboard and Paper Company.” The association does not publish figures for individual enterprises due to wartime risks.
