2025 was another test for the Ukrainian agricultural sector. Farmers faced a number of difficulties: high competition in the domestic market, a shortage of vegetable storage facilities, and complicated logistics due to the war. This was reported by UNIAN, citing the words of the President of the Ukrainian Fruit and Vegetable Association, Taras Bashtannyk.

According to him, there is a chronic shortage of vegetable storage capacities in Ukraine. "A lot of borscht-type vegetables are accumulating in the fields, but farmers do not want to store them, especially situational players, not systemic ones. They do not take risks: it will arrive - it will not arrive, there will be light - it will not be. It is better to sell now, even at reduced prices," Bashtannyk explained.

Vegetable prices remain relatively low in January, but their increase is expected later. Domestic potatoes are expected to run out by mid-spring, after which Ukrainians will have to buy imported products from Poland, where there are the necessary storage facilities for storing vegetables.

Despite the pleasant prices at the end of 2025, the long-term situation for producers remains difficult. Farmers who invested significantly in growing vegetables "for borscht" faced financial losses due to low purchase prices and product storage risks.

For a more complete understanding of the situation, it is worth considering the Ukrainian harvest in a global context. World yield indicators this year turned out to be high. For example, Argentina and Australia, wheat exporting countries, harvested 27.7 million tons (+48.9%) and 35.6 million tons (+5%), respectively. The harvesting of these crops will be completed by mid-January, while winter continues in the northern hemisphere.

The main challenges for Ukrainian farmers in 2026 remain logistics and exports. The inability to export sufficient volumes of the harvest not only causes losses to farms, but can also significantly affect the country's economy and balance of payments. Ensuring efficient routes for transporting products and creating modern vegetable storage facilities are becoming critically important for the stability of Ukraine's agricultural sector.