'Largest wheat harvest in Ukraine since 2022'

The Russian market advisory firm SovEcon believes that Ukraine might achieve the largest wheat harvest since 2022 next year. Both the area and yields are estimated to be higher. SovEcon published its first forecast for the Ukrainian wheat harvest in 2026 today. Production is estimated at 24.6 million tonnes. This is nearly 7% higher than the harvest of 2025. It would be the largest harvest since the Russian invasion of the country. The market advisory firm observes that winter wheat is being planted rapidly this autumn. This has led to a larger area being seeded with this type of wheat. SovEcon expects an increase of 200,000 hectares compared to last growing season, totaling 5.2 million hectares. The cultivation of spring wheat is estimated at 200,000 hectares, remaining unchanged. The larger area of winter wheat and the smooth progress of planting operations are together contributing to a higher harvest expectation, according to SovEcon. The yield is currently estimated at 4.58 tonnes per hectare, which is about 3% more than last year. Most regions received sufficient rainfall last month. Only in the east are there areas where less rainfall occurred. Overall, the conditions are favorable for crop development, according to the market advisory firm. The recent abundant rainfall posed challenges for the harvest of Ukrainian maize and the sowing of winter crops in parts of Romania and Bulgaria, but it significantly improved the conditions for winter wheat in Ukraine. This strengthens the outlook for the 2026 harvest, states Andrey Sizov, head of SovEcon.