Ukrainian Farmers Enter Survival Mode Amid Ongoing Conflict

The agricultural sector in Ukraine has shown remarkable resilience in adapting to change and uncertainty. Alex Lissitsa, President of the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club (UCAB), highlighted this during a presentation at the LFM 2026 conference. However, the situation is now more challenging than it was in 2022 when the full-scale invasion occurred.

Lissitsa noted that at that time, there was a buffer of at least six months due to Ukraine's ability to export around 80% of its grain, while material and technical resources for the spring sowing campaign had already been purchased or contracted. In contrast, the current situation is characterized by a lack of clarity on who will sow how much winter crops, particularly wheat.

A survey conducted during the conference showed that some farmers are considering reducing winter crop areas to focus on higher-margin crops. For instance, HarvEast plans to increase sunflower and soybean areas while reducing winter wheat. On the other hand, TAS Agro and IMC do not plan to change their winter wheat area as it is a crucial preceding crop for rapeseed.

Farmers are now operating in 'operational survival mode,' where they prioritize crops with higher margins to generate funds to get through the current year. This approach has become necessary due to unprofitable domestic prices for products, making large-scale sales difficult and driving demand for additional financing and investment restructuring.