(KYIV, UKRAINE) – Ukraine’s farm sector will need about UAH 200 billion (USD 5.4 billion / GBP 4.2 billion / EUR 5.0 billion) in working capital to get through the autumn period, with a further UAH 300 billion to UAH 350 billion (USD 8.1 billion to USD 9.5 billion / GBP 6.4 billion to GBP 7.4 billion / EUR 7.5 billion to EUR 8.7 billion) required for the spring 2027 sowing campaign, according to government estimates.
Taras Vysotskyi, the minister of agrarian policy and food, said the total working capital need for the autumn season is assessed at roughly UAH 200 billion. For the spring 2027 planting season, he put the figure at UAH 300 billion to UAH 350 billion.
State loan guarantees are expected to reach UAH 80 billion (USD 2.2 billion / GBP 1.7 billion / EUR 2.0 billion). Vysotskyi said the agricultural sector requires around UAH 40 billion (USD 1.1 billion / GBP 855 million / EUR 997 million) each month during the autumn sowing period. He noted that the state has already secured the resource needed for the next two months.
The government has widened access to subsidised lending under the Affordable Loans 5-7-9% programme to support farmers. A previous restriction that limited the share of a loan that could be used to top up working capital to 20 percent has been removed. Borrowers can now direct all of the funds they draw down towards current production needs.
The effective interest rate for farmers has also been cut from 15 percent to 10 percent, with the state compensating the difference. The softer terms apply to new loans and to the extension of existing credit facilities alike.
Vysotskyi said the maximum loan amount during the autumn sowing period is set at UAH 90 million (USD 2.4 million / GBP 1.9 million / EUR 2.2 million), which he described as enough to finance a production cycle on an area of up to 3,000 hectares. The government plans to examine the possibility of raising that limit to UAH 150 million (USD 4.1 million / GBP 3.2 million / EUR 3.7 million) in November, in preparation for the spring sowing campaign.
The minister said the purpose of the credit support is to prevent forced sales of grain at depressed prices. Rather than selling their harvest immediately after gathering it, farmers can use loan funds to cover their current needs, hold onto their produce and sell it later when market conditions are more favourable.
Another support measure has come from the National Bank of Ukraine, which raised the collateral coefficient for grain from 0.4 to 0.75. That allows farmers to borrow a larger amount of financing against their grain stocks. The mechanism is designed to help reduce excess supply of grain on the domestic market and ease pressure on prices.
At the same time, the government has adjusted minimum export prices for agricultural products to reflect changes in logistics and conditions on foreign markets. When alternative routes are used, a large share of the product’s value is taken up by the cost of delivery to European ports.