In the 2025/26 MY, Ukraine will reduce sugar exports by 19.7% compared to the previous season

According to experts, in the 2025/26 MY, sugar production in Ukraine will decrease by 26.3% compared to the previous season to 1.3 million tons, which will be 12.6% lower than the average indicator of the last 5 years.

Against the backdrop of quotas introduced by the European Union and complicated logistics of supplies to third countries, Ukrainian farmers in the 2025/26 MY reduced the area under sugar beets by 21.6% to 199 thousand hectares, which is 12.4% lower than the 5-year average.

At the same time, sugar beet yield increased by 2% compared to the previous season to 49.3 t/ha, which exceeded the 5-year average by 4.4%, resulting in a total harvest of 10.2 million t of beets.

Sugar exports in the 2024/25 MY due to the introduction of quotas decreased by 14.2% compared to the previous season to 629 thousand tons, and in the 2025/26 MY will decrease by another 19.7% to 505 thousand tons. The main importers of Ukrainian sugar in the 2024/25 MY were African countries (32%) and the Middle East (29%), while the share of supplies to the EU was only 17%.

Domestic sugar consumption in Ukraine, which reached 1.1 million tons before the full-scale war, will decrease to 0.9 million tons in the 2025/26 MY due to a decrease in the population.

After the European Union imposed restrictions on the supply of sugar from Ukraine, domestic exporters were unable to quickly switch to other markets, which led to a reduction in the area sown and production of sugar beets. However, high yields and significant carryover stocks (620 thousand tons at the beginning of the season) allow satisfying domestic demand and continuing to increase export supplies.