b"invasion continues, the more challeng- European standards, which have stricter ing the situation becomes for agriculture,requirements for product quality, envi-with resourceshuman, economic, andronmentally friendly production, and the environmentalincreasingly depleted. use of GMOs. Successful harmonization of legislation could make Ukraine's agri-Forecasts on Export cultural sector even more competitive. Trofimtseva believes that Ukraine's pathAdditionally, expanding domestic pro-to EU membership will progress slowlycessing of agricultural products will help but steadily, with no chance of turningreduce reliance on raw material exports back. Fundamental changes are neededand increase the value-added compo-across the entire agricultural sector of anent of Ukrainian goods.large country like Ukraine. At the sameThe export of Ukrainian seeds, time, the EU's Common Agriculturalwhich are high value-added products, Policy is also undergoing reforms, whichhas been growing steadily. In 2020, will shape how Ukraine integrates into thethe European Parliament recognizedSerhiy Tymoshenko, CEO of MAS Seeds European community in the agri-foodUkraine's seed certification system asUkrainesector, including the seed industry. compliant with EU standards, enabling She predicts that exports fromUkraine to export seeds of major cereal Ukraine to EU countries are likely tocrops such as oats, barley, rice, rye, remain relatively stable, with figureswheat, corn, and sorghum.comparable to those of 2023 or 2024.But this is only the beginning. Ukraine This will largely depend on the overallis working towards gaining equivalence harvest, which may be smaller due torecognition in Europe for oilseeds, beets, adverse weather conditions, as well asand soybeans. These efforts are being other unpredictable factors. actively pursued by the Seed Association According to Grygorenko, Ukraine'sof Ukraine, with strong support from the agricultural sectorand the seedEuropean seed association, Euroseeds, industry in particularis at a pointwhich has been helping integrate where challenges and opportunitiesUkraine's seed industry into the EU converge. On one hand, the Russianmarket for many years.invasion is damaging infrastructure,Among other goals, experts from disrupting logistics, and hindering pro- both associations are working on devel- Siuzana Grygorenko, Director of the Seed duction processes. On the other hand,oping the forage grass segment. By theAssociation of UkraineEuropean integration is opening new2050s, Europe plans to allocate 30% of its doors by providing access to a vastagricultural land to these crops, aiming to market characterized by high purchasingprovide both animal feed and contribute power, innovation, and modern agricul- to soil restoration and broader ecosystem tural practices. However, this also meansrecovery. Therefore, the demand for such increased competition with Europeanseeds will remain high, and it is crucial producers, which will require Ukrainianfor Ukraine's state institutions to actively farmers to enhance product quality andengage in developing seed methodolo-meet stringent EU standards. gies for perennial grasses.In this context, Ukrainian producersWhat remains unchanged and crucial have an opportunity to carve out newis the remarkable resilience and adapt-niches in the EU market, particularly in theability of Ukrainian farmers, despite areas of protein crops and organic prod- everything. However, further reforms, ucts. European demand for these prod- investments in infrastructure, and new ucts is rising, and Ukrainian farmers havetechnologies are needed. Together, these the potential to expand the production offactors will play a decisive role in forg-crops like soybeans and peas. ing effective partnerships with European countries and, ultimately, achieving a new Tasks for the Future economic breakthrough for Ukraine'sOlga Trofimtseva, former Acting Minister of One of the main tasks is to adapt toagricultural sector.SW Agrarian Policy (2019)INTERNATIONAL EDITION 2025SEEDWORLD.COM /45"