Sugar production in Ukraine in the 2025/26 marketing year has already reached 1.615 million tons, although the sugar processing season is still ongoing, ProAgro Group reports, citing an interview with Yana Kavushevska, Head of the Board of Ukrtsukor, given to Interfax-Ukraine.

“According to our expectations, sugar production in the 2025–2026 MY will exceed 1.7 million tons. As of January 10, plants that are members of the association have already produced 1.615 million tons,” she said.

According to Kavushevska, sugar beet in 2025 was grown on an area of 199,000 hectares in Ukraine. With an average yield of 58 tons per hectare, total harvest reached 11.4 million tons. So far, 10.8 million tons of sugar beet have been delivered for processing to 27 sugar plants operating this season, while deliveries are still ongoing.

Ukrtsukor initially expected lower results, but favorable weather conditions allowed farmers to achieve higher yields than last year. For comparison, in the 2024/25 MY sugar beet acreage totaled 250,000 hectares with an average yield of 55 t/ha, and 29 sugar plants produced 1.812 million tons of sugar.

Domestic sugar consumption in Ukraine is currently estimated at 800,000–900,000 tons, which is 300,000–400,000 tons lower than pre-war levels. Therefore, the association believes Ukraine should export at least 700,000 tons of sugar in the current season.

“In 2025, Ukraine exported 464,000 tons of sugar, with 27% shipped to the EU, while the rest went to the Middle East and Balkan markets,” Kavushevska noted, adding that Lebanon became the largest buyer.

Market participants also report that about 3,000 hectares of sugar beet remained unharvested due to heavy rains. Under favorable winter conditions, their processing could potentially add more than 20,000 tons of sugar to total output.

We previously wrote that in early January, Ukrsugar forecasted total sugar production in the current season to be within 1.6-1.65 million tons.