Over the past 30 years, Ukraine's production of major grains and oilseeds has grown much faster than the country's economy as a whole, whose GDP increased by only 6% over this period. Corn output has grown tenfold and wheat output by one and a half times, while barley output has roughly halved. The most noticeable changes occurred in the oilseeds segment: the production of rapeseed and soybeans, which in the mid-1990s played virtually no role in the Ukrainian agricultural sector, increased hundreds of times. This is reported by Dengi.ua with reference to AgroNews data.
Notably, the geography of crop cultivation has also changed significantly. While in 1995 the main share of grain production was concentrated in the central and southern regions, today the leading positions are occupied by Podillia and the north of the country. Oilseeds have also shifted their territorial distribution, moving from the eastern regions to the central and western regions, as well as Podillia. These shifts were heavily influenced by changing climatic conditions, logistical peculiarities, and the impact of military hostilities.
Concurrently, the export destinations for Ukrainian agricultural products underwent a major transformation. While Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and EU countries were previously among the primary buyers, the European Union has now become the key and strategically vital market. At the same time, corn retains its status as Ukraine's main export crop. According to the USDA forecast, grain production in the country will exceed 80 million tons in the 2026/2027 season.
