In the 2025/2026 season, Ukraine will significantly increase the import of rye and rye flour — up to 15–16 thousand tons, which is five times the figure of the previous marketing year (about 3 thousand tons). This was announced by Rodion Rybchynskyi, director of the union “Millers of Ukraine,” during the Agro2Food forum in Kyiv.

According to him, the rye deficit is caused by the low activity of farmers during the sowing campaign. Winter rye for the 2026 harvest was sown only 5% more than last year — this is insufficient to cover domestic needs.

The problem of rye shortage in Ukraine is systemic: industry associations “Millers of Ukraine” and “All-Ukrainian Association of Bakers” warned about the chronic deficit of this crop back in the summer of 2025. The reasons include low yield (up to 40 cwt/ha compared to 60 cwt/ha for wheat), lack of export demand, and competition with Belarusian suppliers, who previously covered the needs of the Ukrainian market.

However, in 2025, the situation changed: the price of rye increased to 12–14 thousand UAH/ton (compared to 6–7 thousand UAH in 2024), and rye flour rose in price to 18–20 thousand UAH/ton — twice as much as a year ago.

In this regard, business associations urge farmers to reconsider their attitude towards rye cultivation, which gains new economic viability under conditions of complicated grain exports.