Main points
- Soybean production in Ukraine in 2025/26 will decrease due to a reduction in sown areas, but soybean oil processing and exports will remain stable.
- Changes in the market are due to the introduction of an export duty for traders, which stimulates domestic processing of soybeans and reduces exports of raw materials.
Soybean processing in Ukraine / Photo Freepik
In Ukraine, soybean production will decrease in the 2025/26 marketing year due to reduced plantings. At the same time, soybean oil processing and exports remain stable.
Domestic soybean processing is gradually increasing
Domestic soybean consumption in Ukraine in the 2025/26 marketing year is forecast at 2.9 million tons, according to the Ukrainian Agrarian Business Club. This is 51.4% more than the average of the last five years, although slightly less than in the previous season.
Analysts note that the previous season was marked by record soybean plantings. However, in the 2025/26 marketing year, farmers sowed about 2.1 million hectares, which is 30% less than last year, but higher than the five-year average.
With an average yield of 2.4 tons per hectare, the gross soybean harvest is estimated at 5 million tons, which is more than 30% less than in the previous season. The main reason for the reduction in yield was the decrease in the sown area.
Important! Despite this, soybean oil production remains relatively stable. In the 2025/26 marketing year, it is forecast at 527 thousand tons, which is only 2.6% less than last year.
How was it possible to achieve high recycling rates?
This result is explained by a change in market approaches – in particular, the introduction of an export duty for traders who are not producers. This stimulates domestic processing of soybeans and reduces exports of raw materials.
At the same time, domestic consumption of soybean oil remains low – at 25–30 thousand tons, as Ukrainian consumers traditionally prefer sunflower oil. About 95% of the production is exported.
In the 2024/25 marketing year, Ukraine exported 520 thousand tons of soybean oil, and in 2025/26 a slight decrease is forecast – to 501 thousand tons. The main buyer remains the European Union, which accounts for 87% of exports.
Please note! According to experts, such trends indicate a gradual transition of the Ukrainian agricultural sector from exporting raw materials to producing value-added products.
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