The European Union has significantly reduced the volume of corn imports from Ukraine in the 2024-2025 marketing year, due to logistical issues caused by the Russian-Ukrainian war. According to analysts, this year, corn imports to the EU amounted to 18.79 million tons, down from 19.83 million tons in the previous marketing year. It is projected that in 2025-2026, the figure may rise to 21 million tons.
This is reported by Business • Media
Change in the Structure of Corn Suppliers to the EU
Over the past five years, Ukraine has remained the leading supplier of corn to EU countries, providing an average of 9.7 million tons annually, which accounts for 53.5% of total imports. However, in the current season, the structure of imports has changed significantly. Brazil’s share in corn supplies to the EU has increased to 40%, while the USA’s share has risen to 28.3%. At the same time, Ukraine’s share has decreased to 22.4%.
The reason for this redistribution has been delays in the delivery of contracted Ukrainian corn, leading European buyers to increasingly prefer grain from Brazil and the USA.
Major Importers and Market Trends
The largest importers of corn in the European Union remain Spain, the Netherlands, and Italy. Recently, Spain, which is very sensitive to price changes, has begun to actively purchase more competitively priced American corn. Meanwhile, Ukrainian corn has remained relatively expensive due to high demand from Turkey.
“Market participants reported delays in receiving contracted Ukrainian corn, prompting buyers to increasingly switch to supplies from Brazil and the USA.”