Last Friday, January 30, the seventh GRAIN STORAGE FORUM 2026 was held in Kyiv at the Parkovy Convention and Exhibition Center, bringing together around 1,100 participants and guests. Despite the constant threat of enemy attacks on the capital, a difficult situation in the energy sector, regular power outages, January frost and icy roads, representatives from all regions of Ukraine attended the event. Forum partners also brought their exhibition stands, which were showcased as part of the event expo.
This year, in addition to ProAgro Group and the Ukrainian Elevator Association, the forum was co-organized by Aggeek and the Agro Marketing agency.
The forum ran simultaneously on two venues. The first hosted the main conference, covering grain and oilseed storage and processing, agro-energy and energy efficiency, logistics, and trading. The second venue featured the “Crop Production 2026” conference organized by Aggeek under the slogan “Science and Magic,” focusing on technologies for growing grain and oilseed crops. Both conferences ran throughout the day, bringing together 60 speakers and multiple panel discussions and Q&A sessions with active audience participation.
The event addressed a wide range of issues – from crop profitability under new market conditions and investment opportunities in deep processing, to the state of the elevator industry and simplification of export and customs procedures.
During the first panel discussion, Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture Taras Vysotskyi noted that Ukraine currently has sufficient grain storage capacity and no shortage. “In this situation, the best thing the state can do is ensure business predictability. I can say that no regulatory changes are planned in this area,” he said.
Discussing the elevator sector, Serhii Shcherban, Head of the Storage Department at Kernel, emphasized that the industry has effectively returned to the realities of the 2010s. “A standalone elevator is no longer economically viable. To be profitable, it must be integrated into grain production or grain processing,” he said.
Key issues for agronomists were addressed at the “Crop Production 2026” conference. In particular, Oleh Zahorodnii, Chief Agronomist at Life Biochem, spoke about how EU regulations are already reshaping crop production practices and the economics of farming. The focus was on production costs and margins, alternative solutions to banned active substances, and practical case studies for corn, sunflower, rapeseed, soybeans, and wheat.
Speakers also paid special attention to diversification and investment in processing. Yurii Skichko, CEO of Hermes-Trading, noted that business development without investment is impossible. “The processing business we aim to build requires large investments. The larger the investment, the greater the investor’s confidence must be that it will pay off. This is an area where the state still has work to do,” he said.
Market expansion was another key topic. Despite European integration, access to new markets remains critical. Oleh Khomenko, CEO of UCAB, emphasized the importance of Africa as a growth market, while pointing out the need to strengthen state export credit guarantees to ensure payment security for exporters.
The staffing shortage across the agricultural value chain was also highlighted. Oleksandr Varavka, CEO of ALVIVA GROUP, noted that companies are facing an overall labor deficit, especially among male workers, which cannot be solved solely through automation.
Another important focus was the adoption of modern technologies, including artificial intelligence in agriculture. Oleksandr Tykhyi, Director of SUN AGRO, shared practical experience using the ARNI AI agronomist, demonstrating how AI helps calculate the economics of agronomic decisions, identify risks before they become problems, and work with real field data rather than averages.
Summing up, GRAIN STORAGE FORUM 2026 truly lived up to its slogan “less hype, more action.” The forum focused on urgent challenges facing agricultural production, grain storage, processing, and exports, while emphasizing practical solutions, experience sharing, successful case studies, and advanced technologies.
As always, organizers encouraged networking and business connections. This year, a chatbot was introduced for the first time, allowing participants to communicate both during and after the forum. Additional highlights included a four-legged robot demonstration, an AI host at the crop production conference, and even a light-hearted tarot forecast for the future harvest.
The organizers expressed gratitude to the general partners BEDNAR, AMAKO, and GRECO Group, official partners ENVU, HLR, SOJAM, Ecoorganic, iSolar, TechnoNK, PrivatBank, and more than 60 special partners. Special thanks were also extended to media partners and the Kyiv Academic Municipal Brass Orchestra for creating a welcoming atmosphere.
See you at the next ProAgro Group forums and events in 2026!
