Agricultural products remain the backbone of Ukrainian exports, while their geographic reach is gradually diversifying.
This was reported by Taras Vysotskyi, Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture of Ukraine.
According to him, in 2025 the total volume of Ukraine’s agricultural exports amounted to $22.6 billion, accounting for about 56% of the country’s total exports. The European Union remains the largest trade partner in the agricultural sector, although its share is gradually decreasing.
“The EU remains a key partner, but the export geography is becoming more balanced. While in 2024 the EU’s share of agro-exports was 52.1%, by the end of 2025 it had already fallen to 47.5%. This means that the role of markets in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East is growing,” Taras Vysotskyi noted.
One factor influencing the change in export structure was the return in June 2025 to the quota-based trade regime with the EU, which will continue into 2026. By the end of 2025, agricultural exports to the EU had decreased by $2.1 billion compared to 2024. Market factors—prices and demand—also affected this trend.
In particular, revenue from corn fell by 40%, even though this crop can be exported to the EU without quota restrictions.
At the same time, Ukraine is increasing its presence in markets in the Middle East, North Africa, and Southeast Asia. Key destinations include India, China, South Korea, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Vietnam, as well as Sub-Saharan Africa and Central Asia. These markets have different supply economics than the EU: requirements are generally less strict, but price fluctuations are greater.
These approaches to market expansion are clearly reflected in the regional distribution of exports. In 2025, Ukraine’s agro-exports totaled: $10.7 billion to the EU, $4.4 billion to the Middle East, $2.8 billion to African countries, and $1.7 billion to Southeast Asia. The largest individual export markets remain Egypt, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Poland, and Turkey.
