Pea harvest in Ukraine has increased, but prices remain low, although competitors are reducing production

The world's two largest pea producers, Canada and the Russian Federation, will reduce their production this year, while Ukraine has been increasing its area under this crop for the sixth year in a row. However, the problem that is causing competitors to reduce production is also relevant for Ukraine.

According to UkrAgroConsult, in 2026/27 MY the world pea market will move from a record supply to a balanced state. After world production increased by 25% in 2025/26 MY to a record 18.2 million tons, in 2026/27 MY it will decrease by 14%, the International Grains Council predicts. In particular, in Canada the harvest will decrease by 25% due to a reduction in sowing areas, and in the Russian Federation – by 21% due to a decrease in the profitability of cultivation.

At the same time, in Ukraine, the area under peas this year increased by 6% to 295 thousand hectares, which, against the background of good yields, will allow harvesting about 740 thousand tons of the crop. As of August 10, 712 thousand tons of peas have been threshed from 93% of the area.

In the 2025/26 MY, Ukraine increased pea exports to 387 thousand tons compared to the average of the previous 5 years - 308 thousand tons, which was facilitated by an increase in the sowing area to 278 thousand hectares and high yields. At the same time, the previous season was atypical, as most shipments fell in the second half of the season due to increased demand from Italy, Turkey and Malaysia.

Unlike other crops, peas are usually shipped in small batches rather than by ship. Therefore, they are less sensitive to the logistical problems that have now halted grain exports from Ukraine. Domestic exporters will take advantage of this by replacing deliveries via deep-sea ports with road or rail transportation. However, the main problem of the market remains low prices.

Currently, food yellow peas with delivery to Indian ports are offered at $200-310/t CIF / C&F Mumbai, and Russian peas are offered at $200-220/t FOB - Black Sea ports. In Ukraine, prices are $190-200/t with loading into a container, but continue to decline against the backdrop of low demand and rising logistics costs.

Already this season, the market will show whether Ukraine should have increased its crops, hoping that the decrease in the world harvest will support prices if competitors are cutting production precisely because of prices.