80% of Ukrainian agricultural companies would be ineligible for EU subsidies under current rules, Sobolev says
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Nearly 80% of Ukrainian agricultural companies would be unable to qualify for subsidies under the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) under the current framework due to the large size of their farms, Ukraine’s Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture, Oleksii Sobolev, said at the Grain Ukraine 2026 conference.
According to him, access to the European Union would open a market of 450 million consumers for Ukraine, attract new investment, and create opportunities for exports of value-added products. At the same time, integration into the European agricultural space will require agreements on a number of sensitive issues.
“For us, this means access to the Common Agricultural Policy and these subsidies. But if we look at how the system is currently designed, 80% of our farms would not be able to participate because their size exceeds the limits set under EU rules. This is an issue that will require negotiations,” Sobolev said.
The minister also stressed the need for transition periods to help Ukraine’s agricultural sector adapt to European requirements. In particular, he estimated that transitioning to EU standards for plant protection products alone would require between €2 billion and €4 billion in investment.
He added that some EU requirements could negatively affect the competitiveness of Ukrainian products in markets outside the European Union, meaning that the terms of integration should take into account the specific characteristics of Ukraine’s export sector.
Yevhen Osypov, CEO of Kernel, said that Ukrainian agribusiness is already actively integrating into the European market. According to him, around 50% of the company’s food exports are shipped to EU countries, with a significant share consisting of value-added products such as sunflower oil and meal.
Osypov believes Ukrainian producers are ready to operate under European rules and compete in the EU market. However, he noted that full access to the market without additional restrictions remains a key issue.
At the same time, he stressed that farmers should already be investing in compliance with European standards and certification requirements in order to accelerate the sector’s integration into the EU single market.
