Agrarian trade: the results of the year should please Ukrainians, and expectations should stress… government officials
30 January 14:56
Agri-food products accounted for 60% of Ukraine’s total exports in 2024, and despite a slight decrease compared to the record figure of 2023 (62%), the result is the second best in the history of Ukraine’s independence. This was reported by the Parliamentary Committee on Agrarian and Land Policy, Komersant ukrainskyi reports.
A characteristic feature of 2024 for the Ukrainian agricultural sector was the simultaneous growth of both exports and imports of agricultural products.
According to the State Customs Service of Ukraine, the total volume of foreign trade in agri-food products in Ukraine last year amounted to $32.66 billion, which is 11.5% more than in 2023.
Exports of agricultural products increased by 12.1% and reached $24.84 billion. At the same time, imports of these products increased by 9.7% to $7.82 billion.
For the first time in the context of Russia’s full-scale aggression on the territory of our country, Ukraine managed to increase the volume of agricultural supplies. According to the relevant parliamentary committee, this was largely due to the stable operation of its own controlled sea corridor, through which about 60 million tons of agricultural products were exported.
At the same time, according to analytical forecasts by the National Research Center “Institute of Agrarian Economics,” in 2025, we can expect more complicated conditions for foreign trade and increased risks for agricultural businesses.
Terms of trade between Ukraine and the EU may change
In the middle of this year, the rules of the game for Ukraine in the European Union market may change, namely, the terms of preferential trade for Ukraine. This was signaled by the relevant parliamentary committee.
Ukraine currently enjoys a preferential trade regime with the EU. It was introduced in 2022 to support the Ukrainian economy in the face of Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine. Last year, this special preferential trade regime was extended until June 5, 2025.
Possible changes in the terms of trade between Ukraine and the EU are due, in particular, to the position of European farmers who oppose the extension of the preferential regime.

As you know, last year, five EU countries appealed to the European Commission with a proposal to impose EU-wide restrictions on the export of Ukrainian grain, corn and oil. Four of these countries-Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and Bulgaria-even imposed unilateral restrictions on Ukrainian agricultural products, with farmers from these countries claiming large-scale losses due to Ukrainian dumping.
And Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, as reported by Bloomberg, suggested that the European Union should reinstate trade restrictions on Ukrainian food imports that existed before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
“We should return to the pre-war trade rules, and then start negotiations with Ukraine on joining the EU and the single market with all the adjustments and all the rules that need to be followed,” Sikorski said.
What can Ukrainian trade with the EU expect?
According to the Parliamentary Agricultural Committee, the European Union is currently conducting technical negotiations on new terms of preferential trade for Ukraine. The European Commission allegedly has no plans to extend the current regime, but there is no question of returning to the trade regime that existed before the full-scale invasion.
Among the options under consideration is an agreement within the framework of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA), which could include quotas on certain types of agricultural products and additional safeguards. This, in turn, could facilitate Ukraine’s integration into the EU single market.
According to European Commissioner for Agriculture Christoph Hansen, most agriculture ministers are in favor of a more stable DCFTA agreement than the continuation of the current regime. That is, so far, the preference is to move in the direction of the DCFTA, where new export and import volumes will be determined.
It is also reported that the European Commission has already started negotiations with Ukraine on this issue, but only at the technical level. The main negotiations may begin in the near future.