Ukrainian farmers have lost market share in EU agricultural imports: what is the reason?
13 May 13:50
According toEurostat’s “ ” data, Ukraine ranked among the top five suppliers of agricultural products to the European Union in 2025, with a 5.0% share—1.7 percentage points lower than the previous year, reports "Komersant Ukrainian".
“Compared to 2024, the EU’s main partners for agricultural products remained largely stable; however, Ukraine’s share of imports fell from 6.7% to 5.0% due to the expiration of trade facilitation measures previously granted for agricultural products,” the report states.
Top Suppliers to the EU
According to the infographic provided by Eurostat, the top 5 suppliers of agricultural products to the EU were:
● Brazil — 8.5% (EUR 18.2 billion);
● United Kingdom — 8.0% (EUR 17.1 billion);
● the United States — 6.2% (EUR 13.3 billion);
● China — 5.1% (EUR 10.9 billion);
● Ukraine — 5.0% (EUR 10.7 billion).
Norway (4%) and Côte d’Ivoire (4%) were also among the leading food suppliers to the EU. The remaining partner countries accounted for 59% of total imports.
“As for export destinations, compared to 2024, the shares of most partners showed only minor fluctuations; however, the U.S. share of exports decreased by 0.9% due to the imposition of tariffs on a number of agricultural products,” the report states.
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Who Buys the Most EU Agricultural Products
The European Union’s main partners in 2025 were:
● the United Kingdom — 23.3% (EUR 55.6 billion);
● the United States — 12.0% (EUR 28.5 billion);
● Switzerland — 5.7% (EUR 13.5 billion);
● China — 4.9% (EUR 11.6 billion);
● Japan — 3.0%.
Norway (3.0%) and Russia (2.0%) also made the list of the largest buyers of European agricultural products.
Eurostat noted that overall, the EU exported agricultural goods worth EUR 238.2 billion last year, while imports totaled EUR 213.5 billion. This allowed the European bloc to achieve a trade surplus of EUR 24.7 billion. At the same time, trade in agricultural products expanded significantly between 2015 and 2025: exports grew by an average of 4.4% per year, while imports grew by 5.0%.
It was previously reported that the revision of trade preferences and the return to a system of quotas and tariffs on Ukrainian agricultural imports would significantly impact the sector’s economic performance. According to the Cabinet of Ministers’ estimates, a return to pre-war trade conditions could lead to a reduction in the Ukrainian agribusiness sector’s revenues by approximately EUR 3.5 billion per year.
Currently, a transitional regime is in effect that limits the volume of duty-free agricultural exports based on the “emergency brake” principle. The restrictions apply to grain crops, honey, eggs, sugar, poultry meat, oats, and cereals.
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