Ukraine is harvesting a decent grain crop, but selling it is becoming increasingly difficult due to Russian strikes on ports, railways, and other logistics routes. There is currently a high probability that the grain may remain in storage instead of generating funds for farmers for the next sowing campaign. 

Ukraine’s agricultural integration into the European Union will depend on how both sides adapt to a changing Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). As Europe rethinks the financing of farm support and resilience, Ukraine needs a clear position on how its production capacity can contribute to a more secure European food system.

Ukraine is urgently seeking solutions as Russia’s blockade of Odesa ports chokes grain exports at the peak of the harvest, despite efforts to scale up alternative routes.

In the first 12 days of August, Ukraine exported only 590,000 tonnes of grain, about 30% of the needed volume, Agriculture Minister Taras Vysotskyi told journalists on Friday.

In a food-system crisis, delayed or contradictory information can be as disruptive as a blocked route. Ukraine’s experience shows why communication must be designed as part of policy itself.

When a port closes, the disruption is visible. When a rule changes without warning, or different authorities explain it differently, the damage is harder to see. Grain may be physically able to move, yet a trader cannot price the risk, a haulier cannot confirm which procedure applies and a producer cannot decide whether to sell or store. In a crisis, information is not merely commentary on the supply chain; it is part of its operating infrastructure.

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.

Europe is increasingly viewing Ukraine not simply as a major agricultural supplier, but as a strategic component of its future food and resource security. According to the European Commission, Ukraine’s accession could increase the EU’s protein self-sufficiency from 76% to 86%.

This figure goes far beyond a statistical projection. It is a clear indication that Ukraine’s agricultural potential is already being incorporated into European strategic thinking on food security, resource autonomy and resilient supply chains.

Russia's intensified attacks on Ukraine's port infrastructure and civilian vessels in the Black Sea have already had a significant impact on the country's agricultural export logistics. As security risks continue to escalate, foreign vessels have temporarily suspended calls at Ukrainian ports, creating serious challenges for the export of the new harvest.

Pavlo Koval, Director General of the Ukrainian Agribusiness Confederation (UAC), shared these assessments in an interview with Deutsche Welle.

Even China Will Feel the Impact: Halt of Ukrainian Grain Exports Threatens Global Food Security, Says Leonid Kozachenko

For the sixth consecutive day, Ukraine has been unable to export agricultural products through its Black Sea ports.

Pavlo Koval, Director General of the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club (UAC), spoke on Ukrainian Radio about Europe's largest Field Days near Magdeburg, the emergence of a new technological model for European agriculture, the future transformation of the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), and Ukraine's role in this process.

— You recently attended the Field Days in Germany. What made this event particularly significant?

These are the largest agricultural field demonstrations in Europe, held every two years, alternating between eastern and western Germany. This year's event took place near Magdeburg. For me, it was an opportunity to see firsthand how Europe is building a new model of agricultural production.

The European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy is entering a period of structural change. It is no longer only about farm income, market regulation or rural development. The emerging CAP is becoming part of a broader European agenda: food security, strategic autonomy, technological competitiveness, resource efficiency and economic resilience.