The Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine has presented a draft Strategy for the Development of the Dairy Industry until 2035, which envisions increasing the production of high value-added products, modernizing processing enterprises, expanding exports, and aligning legislation with the requirements of the European Union.
According to the ministry’s press service, one of the key goals is to increase the value of dairy product exports to $800 million by 2035, up from $401.36 million in 2025.
The share of high value-added products—such as caseinates, milk protein concentrates, and infant formula—in the export structure is planned to reach 40%.
The strategy also foresees attracting at least €1 billion in investment into dairy processing by 2030, creating around 40 modern full-cycle dairy processing facilities, and building no fewer than 100 industrial dairy farms.
The document notes that Ukraine’s dairy sector faces a number of structural challenges, including the consequences of the full-scale war, a shrinking domestic market, a lack of investment, limited access to foreign markets, a significant shadow economy segment, and insufficient technological development of enterprises.
According to the strategy’s authors, Ukraine’s share in global milk production has decreased from 3.6% in 1992 to 0.7% in 2024. At the same time, production is becoming more concentrated: between 2015 and 2025, the number of farms with up to 50 cows fell from 985 to 317, while the number of farms with more than 1,000 cows increased from 64 to 76.
At the same time, the authors emphasize that the sector has demonstrated resilience under wartime conditions. In 2025, industrial enterprises processed over 3.6 million tons of milk, compared to 3.2 million tons in the pre-war year of 2021. Dairy exports last year increased by 12% to 131,900 tons, while foreign currency revenue rose by 35% to $401.36 million.
Among the priorities of the strategy are the adaptation of Ukrainian legislation to EU standards, combating fraud and the shadow market, supporting enterprise modernization, developing laboratory control, expanding export geography, and promoting the Ukrainian dairy brand in foreign markets.
The document also takes into account global industry trends through 2035, including decarbonization of production, digitalization and full traceability of products, automation of farms and processing facilities, the use of artificial intelligence technologies, growing demand for organic and functional products, and stricter environmental requirements in international markets.
According to the ministry, the draft was presented at a meeting of the Working Group on Dairy Industry Development. Participants also discussed the operational implementation plan for 2027–2029.
The Ministry of Economy invites representatives of business, industry associations, academic institutions, and the expert community to join the public discussion of the document. Proposals and comments on the draft strategy will be accepted until 18 July 2026.
