Ukraine Corn Prices Plummet Amid Weak Export Demand and High Logistics Costs

Ukraine's corn prices continue to drop as weak export demand remains a major issue for farmers. Since the beginning of September, prices have fallen by UAH 800-1,000 per tonne to UAH 6,000-7,000 per tonne at elevators and processing plants.

The high costs of alternative logistics are also putting pressure on exporters. Delivery costs via the Danube ports or by road and rail to Constanța have reached $100-140 per tonne.

Under these conditions, farmers are prioritizing higher-value crops such as rapeseed, soybeans, and sunflower seeds over corn and wheat exports.

In western regions, prices for old-crop corn remain at UAH 6,500-7,500 per tonne loaded into railcars for export to the EU. However, new crop prices have fallen to €170-175 per tonne for October, December deliveries and €192-195 per tonne for January, March deliveries.

Ukraine's corn exports have been relatively strong so far this year, with 189,000 tonnes exported between September 1-15 compared to just 20,000 tonnes in the same period last year. The largest buyers were Turkey, Italy, Germany, Cyprus, and the Netherlands.