Frosts are changing the market: corn prices in Ukrainian ports have gone up
9 January 10:12
Ukraine is seeing steady growth in corn purchase prices amid bad weather and delivery delays. Over the week, export prices rose by $2-3/t to $204-206/t, or 9,800-9,900 UAH/t, delivered to Black Sea ports.
This was reported by the press service of the Electronic Grain Exchange of Ukraine, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
The situation in Ukraine
The main reason was a combination of seasonal lull and logistical problems in Black Sea ports. Due to frost and snowfall, grain supply from farmers will not increase until January 20-25, while traders have already planned large shipments.
In addition, the interbank dollar exchange rate has risen by 1.5% to 42.92/42.96 UAH/dollar since the beginning of 2026, causing corn purchase prices in ports to increase by 130 UAH/ton.
During December 2025, Ukraine shipped 1.92 million tons of corn, but in total, only 5.96 million tons were exported in the first half of the season. This is 64% less than last year. Experts note that in order to reach the planned 23 million tons for the season, it is necessary to ship 2.7-2.8 million tons per month, which is a difficult task due to the high cost of Ukrainian grain compared to its global counterparts.
Global trends
While Ukraine is struggling with frosts, South America and the US are showing high activity, which is putting pressure on global prices. Brazil exported 6.13 million tons of corn in December, which is 43% higher than in 2024. Good weather in the region only improves harvest forecasts. US exports since September have reached 26.8 million tons (64.8% of last year’s figure), accounting for one-third of the annual plan.
March corn futures in Chicago fell 3% a week before the new year, but in the first week of 2026, they rose 1.6% to $176/t and are trading 0.7% higher than a month ago.
Forecast for farmers
The current price increase in Ukrainian ports may be short-lived. Experts expect competition in global markets to intensify in February-March, when supply from Argentina and Ukraine will increase. Farmers who have grain ready for sale can take advantage of the current wave of price increases this week and next.
