The share of agricultural products in Ukraine's total exports reached 62%

In the 1st quarter of 2026, Ukraine exported 15.5 million tons of agricultural products for a total amount of $6.3 billion, and the share of agricultural products in total exports was 62%, which indicates the key role of the industry in ensuring the country's foreign exchange earnings, the press service of the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture reported.

 

While the physical volume of exports grew by only 1.2% compared to last year, its value increased by 8.3% or $482 million due to the increase in the share of value-added products, as the FAO food price index increased by only 1%.

 

This means that Ukraine is moving from exporting raw materials to selling processed products, and now the task of the authorities is to consolidate this trend by developing processing and expanding access to foreign markets.

 

The geography of exports remains stable, almost 49% of exported agricultural products were purchased by EU countries, 20% by the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa), 12% by Turkey (which increased its share from 9% to 12% over the year, and the value by $242 million), and 18% by other countries.

 

The export structure remains concentrated: 5 main commodity items provided 68% of revenue, the top 10 - 81%, and the leaders were again corn, sunflower oil, and wheat.

 

Corn exports grew by 18% in physical terms and 17% in monetary terms, driven by stronger demand from Turkey. Sunflower oil exports grew by 3% in physical terms and 20% in monetary terms. At the same time, wheat exports fell by 35%, primarily due to record harvests in EU countries, which reduced their purchases by 82%.

 

In January, wheat exports amounted to 536 thousand tons, and in March they increased by 62% to 869 thousand tons, which creates the prerequisites for the full use of the EU quota in 2026.

 

The Ministry of Agrarian Policy notes that stimulating processing has reduced oilseed exports and increased the volume of exports of processed products. For example, rapeseed oil exports have increased by more than 30 times compared to last year.

 

The results of the 1st quarter indicate qualitative changes in agricultural exports, increasing sales of products with higher added value, which will contribute to the further development of the Ukrainian economy, the department notes.