News

Pavlo Koval: Europe Is Shaping a New Agricultural Model, and Ukraine Must Be an Active Participant

agroconf1 — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 08:57:59 +0000

05.07.2026

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.

Beyond Farm Support: How the New CAP Architecture Is Redefining European Agriculture and Ukraine's Role

agroconf1 — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 11:57:17 +0000

29.06.2026

The Common Agricultural Policy is becoming part of Europe’s resilience architecture

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.

Pavlo Koval: Food Security Has Become an Integral Part of National and Global Security

agroconf1 — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 05:33:39 +0000

29.06.2026

The war in Ukraine, the escalating conflict in the Middle East, and accelerating climate change are increasingly affecting global food security. Today's challenges demonstrate that the stability of the global food market depends not only on agricultural production but also on resilient logistics, reliable critical infrastructure, and effective international cooperation.

This was emphasized by Pavlo Koval, Director General of the Ukrainian Agrarian Confederation (UAC), commenting to GlobalWatch on the growing risks facing the global agricultural sector.

According to Koval, Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine marked a turning point for the global food supply system. The blockade of Ukraine's Black Sea ports in 2022 exposed the vulnerability of international food supply chains. The simultaneous surge in grain, energy, fertilizer, and transportation costs quickly affected markets across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.

Ukrainian Intelligence: Russia creating conditions for anthrax spread in Kherson region by disposing of infected animal carcasses

agroconf1 — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 19:12:22 +0000

23.06.2026

Defence Intelligence of Ukraine claims that Russian occupation authorities are creating conditions that could facilitate the spread of anthrax in the occupied part of Kherson region by transporting and burying infected animal carcasses.

According to DI, infected animals are being disposed of in violation of sanitary regulations. Instead of being incinerated, the carcasses are buried. Some of the burial sites are located near populated areas and highways, while others are situated less than one kilometer from residential settlements.

Black Sea region to drive growth in global sunflower seed production

agroconf1 — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 16:25:43 +0000

19.06.2026

According to preliminary estimates by Oil World, global sunflower seed production in the 2026/27 marketing year could rise to 63.3 million tonnes, compared with 57.5 million tonnes in the previous season and an average of 56.2 million tonnes over the past five years. As a result, the market is moving closer to historic highs, driven by expansion in key producing countries.

New corn gene has been discovered in China that could reduce the country’s dependence on soybean imports

agroconf1 — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 12:20:51 +0000

15.06.2026

Chinese scientists have discovered a gene in wild corn responsible for increased grain protein content, which was lost during the domestication of the crop. According to the researchers, this discovery could help reduce China’s dependence on imported feed protein components, Yicai Global reports.

Hot weather hurts Asian crops as powerful El Nino takes shape

agroconf1 — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 12:25:06 +0000

08.06.2026

Dry weather is disrupting crop planting across Asia, raising concerns about food supplies in the world's most populous region, and an expected severe El Nino weather pattern could inflict more damage.

From India's grain-producing northwestern plains to Australia's eastern wheat belt, and from Thailand's rice fields to Indonesia's vast palm oil plantations, hot weather and below-normal rains are hurting crops ‌and forcing farmers to reduce planting, farmers, analysts and traders said.

WHO IS SHAPING THE AGRICULTURAL ECONOMY OF 2030

agroconf1 — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 09:52:03 +0000

04.06.2026

The developments of spring 2026 confirmed one of the central trends in global agricultural policy: leading economies increasingly view agriculture not only as a production sector, but also as a component of economic resilience, food security and strategic autonomy.

Global agricultural markets are entering a period in which competitiveness will be determined not only by production volumes or price, but also by the ability of states and companies to control supply chains, manage risks and ensure quality, traceability and export stability.

Grain reserves in Ukraine are a third higher than last year

agroconf1 — Thu, 28 May 2026 07:19:37 +0000

28.05.2026

Stocks of grain and leguminous crops in Ukraine as of May 1, 2026 amounted to 12.7 million tons, which is 4.8 million tons more than the indicator on the same date a year earlier, according to data from the State Statistics Service.

It is noted that by the reporting date, 8.1 million tons of grain and leguminous crops were stored in agricultural enterprises, which is 52.8% more than the indicator on the same date a year earlier, and 4.6 million tons (+74.5%) were stored in processing and storage enterprises.

Sowing Campaign 2026: Weather Shifts, Labor Shortages and Initial Harvest Forecasts — Interview with Pavlo Koval

agroconf1 — Sat, 23 May 2026 13:12:30 +0000

23.05.2026

Pavlo Koval, Director General of the Ukrainian Agrarian Confederation (UAC), provided an in-depth analysis of Ukraine’s spring sowing campaign during an interview on Ukrainian Radio. The discussion focused on the impact of abnormal weather conditions, the escalating labor shortage, and diverging forecasts for the upcoming harvest. Below is an extended summary of the key points from the interview.

— Mr. Koval, how have this spring’s weather conditions affected the sowing campaign schedule? How critical is the delay?

Xi-Trump summit may yield farm deal, but China has limited soybean appetite

agroconf1 — Wed, 13 May 2026 14:31:31 +0000

13.05.2026

Agriculture remains a less contentious area in U.S.-China relations. China unlikely to increase soybean purchases beyond existing commitments. Markets expect new deals for corn, sorghum, milling wheat, poultry and meat.

Ukraine has increased wheat exports

agroconf1 — Tue, 05 May 2026 06:48:40 +0000

05.05.2026

In April, Ukraine exported significantly more wheat than in March. According to the State Statistics Service, 1.29 million tons were shipped, compared to 803 thousand tons a month earlier.

Since the beginning of the season, exports have amounted to 11.06 million tons.

As reported by Spike Brokers, April was a month of acceleration after a weaker March, but the overall seasonal dynamics continue to depend on the concentration of demand on individual large importers and price competition from the Black Sea region.

Who buys Ukrainian wheat?

South Africa may reach record canola production in 2026

agroconf1 — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 10:24:36 +0000

29.04.2026

South Africa’s canola production is expected to continue expanding, with output in the 2026/27 season potentially reaching a new record. Farmers are increasing planted area in response to strong demand for vegetable oils and oilcake.

Planted area is projected at around 189.2 thousand hectares, up 8% year-on-year. If yields remain at the five-year average of 1.89 t/ha, total production could reach approximately 357.5 thousand tonnes, marking a 16% increase from the previous season.

Pistachio Price Shock Spurs South Africa Farmers to Boost Output

agroconf1 — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 06:21:00 +0000

24.04.2026

South African farming group Karoo Pistachios is ramping up output to capitalize on surging prices and compete with the world’s biggest producers.

The nuts — used in ice cream and chocolate — climbed to the highest level in almost a decade this month as the conflict in Iran, the world’s second-largest grower, disrupts supplies in an already constrained market.

Profits of Ukrainian agricultural companies increased by 21%

agroconf1 — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 07:53:26 +0000

16.04.2026

The financial performance of Ukraine’s agricultural sector (NACE 01) showed significant nominal growth in 2025.

Experts note that an analysis of macroeconomic statistics indicates a deep structural gap between the nominal financial results of enterprises and the dynamics of real value added generated in the sector.