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China has opened its market to Ukrainian peas following an audit, Ukraine’s State Service on Food Safety and Consumer Protection reported.

The Chinese side inspected the operating conditions of Ukrainian enterprises as well as their laboratory control capabilities. Based on the results, Ukraine received official authorization to export peas to China.

The President of the Ukrainian Agrarian Confederation, Leonid Kozachenko, in an interview with Suspilne News, analyzed the current situation on the mineral fertilizers market, outlined the impact of European sanctions against Russia on the agricultural sector, and shared his outlook on the upcoming harvest and food prices in Ukraine.

To better understand the overall situation, could you explain where the European Union currently sources fertilizers from and how dependent it is on Russia?

Ukraine has maintained its position as the largest supplier of sunflower oil to the European Union, according to data from the European Commission cited by the Union for the Promotion of Oil and Protein Plants (UFOP) in Germany.

From July 1, 2025 to February 1, 2026, EU countries imported just under 1.04 million tons of sunflower oil, compared with 1.28 million tons during the same period a year earlier, according to a report released on February 12. Of that volume, Ukraine supplied 950,000 tons of sunflower oil to the EU.

Ukraine kept grain moving under extraordinary pressure. The next task is to turn wartime improvisation into a durable, coordinated system for Ukraine and Europe.

Before Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine played a central role in global food security. It was one of the world’s leading suppliers of wheat, maize, barley and sunflower oil, serving markets across Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and Asia. The system was highly efficient, but also highly concentrated: the European Commission estimated that up to 95 per cent of Ukraine’s grain exports moved through Black Sea ports.