The volume of Ukraine’s foreign trade in dairy products amounted to USD 40.5 million in January, significantly decreasing by 35% compared to the previous month (USD 61.8 million) and by 26% compared to November 2025 (USD 54.7 million), ProAgro Group reports.

According to the Analytical and Expert Service of the Union of Dairy Enterprises of Ukraine (UDEU), exports in January 2026 totaled USD 18 million, down 27% compared to December 2025 (USD 24.6 million) and 24.3% compared to November 2025 (USD 23.8 million).

Imports last month amounted to USD 22.4 million, declining by 40% compared to December (USD 37.2 million) and by 27.5% compared to November (USD 30.9 million).

The export-import balance in January remained negative at USD -4.4 million, similar to December (USD -12.5 million) and November 2025 (USD -7.0 million). The export-to-import ratio stood at 0.8 in January, compared to 0.66 in December and 0.77 in November.

In January, the value structure of exports was as follows: condensed milk and cream accounted for 32%, cheeses for 27%, and butter and other dairy fats for 21%. Compared to January 2025, the export structure shifted slightly, with the share of cheeses increasing from 22% to 27%, while the share of butter and other dairy fats declined from 30% to 21%.

Compared to January 2025, the value structure of imports remained largely unchanged last month. The share of all types of cheeses decreased slightly from 79.8% to 78.4% (-1.4 percentage points), while the share of whey increased significantly from 1.8% to 6.3%.

As previously reported, despite a reduction in imports, the share of imported cheeses on the Ukrainian market increased from 38% to 45% last year and continues to grow. According to UDEU, imports of rennet cheese to Ukraine in 2025 rose by 13% to 32.9 thousand tons, including hard cheese imports of 15.8 thousand tons (+14%).