Ukraine's Wheat Harvest Faces Uncertain Future Amid Price Slump

Last year at this time, wheat was selling for 9,000 hryvnias per ton. This year, farmers are struggling to find buyers even at a price of 5,500 hryvnias per ton.

The fall in grain purchase prices raises questions about the profitability of the entire harvest campaign. Exports have been blocked due to port closures, and as a result, wheat prices on the domestic market have almost halved.

Farmers in the northern part of the country are being forced to sell wheat for 5,200 hryvnias per ton, while last year's starting price was between 9,200-9,300 hryvnias. Even processing plants are refusing to take grain due to uncertainty and a lack of storage space.

The breakeven point for winter wheat is around 5 tons per hectare at market prices of 9 thousand hryvnias per ton. However, at the current price of 5,200 hryvnias, farmers would need to harvest over 8.5 tons per hectare to break even - a feat that is unrealistic for most farms.