Grain Ukraine 2026: From grain exports to value-added economy — how the global agricultural reality changes

The 11th international grain conference Grain Ukraine 2026, scheduled for June 4–5 in Kyiv, is shaping a new framework for industry discussion. This year’s theme — The New Grain Order — shifts the focus from short-term forecasts toward a systemic rethinking of the global agricultural market and the development of long-term strategies with a 20–25-year horizon.

The event will address the following key questions:

➢ What will determine Ukraine’s competitiveness by 2050: scale, efficiency, processing capacity, or positioning within global supply chains?

➢ Is bioenergy a strategic bet, a prerequisite for energy independence, or an overestimated expectation?

➢ Is Ukraine building the logistics infrastructure of the future, or still operating on the infrastructure of the past?

➢ How can Ukraine balance dependence on the EU market with the need to diversify globally?

➢ Who will shape the future of Ukraine’s agricultural sector — the state, business, or geopolitics?

“Ukraine’s agricultural sector has entered a phase of structural adaptation after four years of full-scale war. Businesses have learned to operate amid high uncertainty, rebuilt logistics chains, improved operational efficiency, and are gradually moving toward processing development. The next step is to formulate a long-term strategic vision. That is exactly what this year’s event will focus on,” said Chair of the Grain Ukraine 2026 Organising Committee Iryna Bondarenko.

The conference agenda includes panel discussions dedicated to the future of agriculture, geopolitics, investment, energy, and market transformation:

➢ Ukrainian Business and the Global Context: The Agricultural Sector in a 25-Year Perspective;

➢ To the EU Without Illusions: How to Navigate the Difficult Path and Remain Competitive;

➢ Ukrainian Agriculture Under Pressure: The End of the Cheap Model and the New Grain Order;

➢ Logistics Under Geopolitical Pressure: How to Overcome Supply Chain Vulnerabilities;

➢ Will the Agricultural Sector Become a Key Player in Ukraine’s Bioenergy Market?;

➢ Capital, Risk, Growth: Financing Through Uncertainty;

➢ When Grain Is No Longer Enough: Where Will Agriculture Find New Competitiveness?;

➢ Investment Attractiveness of Agricultural Companies During Wartime: Where Are Growth Opportunities Concentrated Today?.

Speakers at Grain Ukraine 2026 will include business leaders, international experts, and government officials shaping the future of the sector:

• Oleksii Sobolev, Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine;
• Yevhen Osypov, CEO of Kernel;
• Georg von Nolcken, CEO of Continental Farmers Group;
• Svitlana Krakowska, Head of the Applied Climatology Laboratory at the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Institute of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine and National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine;
• Petr Krogman, owner of Agromino and President of the Ukrainian-Czech Chamber of Commerce;
• Cesar Soares, founder of CAS Consultancy;
• Jonathan Grange, partner at Sunstone Brokers;
• Bartosz Pieczkowski, owner and chairman of Frontier Logistics;
• Andrii Moisieienko, board member of Ukreximbank;
• Yevhen Dudka, founder of VILIA Group;
• Tahir Musayev, CEO of Baryshivska Grain Company;
• Volodymyr Metkyi, founder and CEO of Tradex Agri Group;
• Serhii Nechyporuk, CEO of AGROTRADE Group;
• Adomas Audickas, Deputy CEO for Bioenergy at MHP;
• Yurii Krasovskyi, Business Development Director at N’UNIT;
• Bohdan Kostetskyi, operating partner at Barva Invest;
• Taras Vysotskyi, Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine;
• Anna Lebedynets, Associate Director and Senior Banker at European Bank for Reconstruction and Development;
• Pavlo Prytyko, Director for Mid-Corporate Clients at PUMB;
• Taras Mykolaienko, Executive Director of the Ukrainian Bioethanol Producers Association Ukrbioethanol;
  and many others.

Top executives from the grain market, logistics business, food industry, and financial sector have already confirmed their participation. Organisers expect more than 600 industry participants.

Networking remains an important part of Grain Ukraine. The evening program will bring participants together in an informal setting, this year featuring a performance by the Ukrainian rock band Mertvyi Piven.

Registration for Grain Ukraine 2026 is available at https://tinyurl.com/457993xc

Organiser — IdeasFirst
General Partner — Ukreximbank
Partners — SD Capital and TIS
Content Partner — Trend & Hedge Club