Up to 20% of Ukrainian farmers may stop operating after this season, industry figure warns
The head of the Poltava District Farmers Association, Oleh Slyzko, warned that up to 20% of Ukrainian farmers may cease operations after the current season. He blamed falling grain and sunflower prices, rising fuel costs and export problems, and accused traders of artificially suppressing purchase prices. The association is calling for state control over agricultural exports.
Key points
- Up to 20% of Ukrainian farmers may not continue operating after the current season, according to Oleh Slyzko of the Poltava District Farmers Association.
- Slizko cited falling grain and sunflower prices, rising fuel costs and export problems as the reasons farmers may exit the market.
- Class 4 wheat is selling at around 4,400 hryvnias per tonne this year, down from 9,000–10,000 hryvnias per tonne last year.
- Sunflower prices fell from around 33,000–35,000 hryvnias per tonne in spring to around 15,000–16,000 hryvnias per tonne.
- Slizko accused traders of artificially lowering purchase prices despite blocked ports and slowed exports.
- The Poltava District Farmers Association is calling for state control over agricultural exports.
- This year's grain harvest is forecast at roughly 60.4 million tonnes, comparable to last year, with wheat more than four times domestic needs.
Why it matters
A potential 20% reduction in the number of operating farmers would affect both domestic food production and rural employment in wartime Ukraine. The squeeze between collapsing purchase prices and rising costs is being framed as a systemic crisis rather than an isolated difficulty, and an industry association is publicly calling for state control of agricultural exports — a sign that the policy debate over how to manage the sector under wartime conditions is intensifying.
What happened
Oleh Slyzko, head of the Poltava District Farmers Association, said up to 20% of Ukrainian farmers may stop operating after the current season. He pointed to sharp drops in purchase prices for wheat and sunflower, rising fuel costs, and export problems. Class 4 wheat was selling at around 4,400 hryvnias per tonne, down from 9,000–10,000 hryvnias the previous year. Sunflower prices fell from about 33,000–35,000 hryvnias per tonne in spring to around 15,000–16,000 hryvnias. Slyzko accused traders of artificially suppressing purchase prices even as ports remain blocked and exports are slowed, and said state and private elevators are full while most farmers cannot store grain until market conditions improve. He also warned that a shift toward exporting sunflower meal could leave 40% of farmers unable to operate and put further downward pressure on prices. The Poltava District Farmers Association's position is that agricultural exports should be brought under state control.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Both Ukrainian sources in this story — Suspilne Novyny and ZN.UA — centre the perspective of Oleh Slyzko and the Poltava District Farmers Association. The coverage focuses on concrete price drops for wheat and sunflower, the cost-price squeeze on producers, and the accusation that traders are artificially suppressing purchase prices. The framing highlights the need for state control over agricultural exports and warns that further shifts in export composition — particularly toward sunflower meal — could harm 40% of farmers.
Background
Ukrainian farmers have been shifting toward the most profitable crops because of the war and adverse weather, but this has not insulated them from falling profits. State and private grain elevators are full, and most farmers lack the capacity to store grain until market conditions improve. This year's grain harvest is forecast at roughly 60.4 million tonnes, comparable to last year, with wheat production running more than four times domestic consumption — putting additional pressure on export channels. Farmers argue that traders are artificially lowering purchase prices even as ports remain blocked and exports are slowed.