Organic Agrifood Products

Thanks to the country’s size (the biggest country within Europe with 603.6 thousand square km), geographical location and proximity to international buyers, widespread fertile black soils and diverse climate zones, Ukraine has all the prerequisites to gradually become a European centre of organic production.

Over the last few years the organic agrifood sector in Ukraine has demonstrated a strong and reliable export potential.

Overview of the organic sector of Ukraine

In 2021, Ukrainian Government adopted the National Economic Strategy until 2030 which officially set a target for increase in organic agricultural land in Ukraine. It is planned that by 2030 Ukrainian organic land will reach 3% of the total area of agricultural lands of Ukraine (or near 1.3 million hectares). Another goal of the Strategy is to increase exports of organic products to 1 billion USD by 2030.

In the last few years despite russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian companies remain resilient and continue produce and export their agrifood organic products to nearly 30 countries around the world. Total 198,000 tonnes of Ukrainian organic products with a value of USD 141 million have been exported to 213 importers in 29 countries around the world (Europe, North America, Asia and Australia) in 2023. The main countries importing Ukrainian organic agrifood products are the Netherlands, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Poland, the Czech Republic, Moldova, France and Israel. Ukrainian organic producers already export about 60 types of products: cereals (wheat, barley, buckwheat, corn, millet, spelt, oat), oilseeds and protein crops (sunflower seeds, rape seeds, mustard seeds, linseed, soybeans, peas), fresh, dried and frozen fruits and berries (apple, bilberry, blackberry, blueberry, elderberry, raspberry, cranberry, rose-hip fruits, strawberry, lingonberry fruits), walnuts, sunflower oil, sunflower cake, cereal preparations and milling products (wheat and rye flour, hulled millet, millet flakes, oat flakes, spelt flakes), apple juice concentrated, birch sap, honey, fish, mushrooms, dairy products, food preparations, fruit rolls and others.

In 2024, EU countries imported 203,9 thousand tons of organic products from Ukraine, which is 17,4% more than in the previous year. Ukraine's share in total EU organic imports was 7,7%.

Ukraine's volume and share in EU organic product imports by type

Product type	Volume, tone	Share in total imports of product type, %
Cereals	83 728 (+8.3%)	30.8
Oilseeds and protein crops	78 069 (+23.0%)	17.9
Fruit and nuts	22 517 (+17.3%)	2.2
Vegetable oils (oilseeds and palm)	5 842 (+47.9%)	2.9
Margarine and other oils and fats (vegetable)	4 337 (+67.1%)	4.8
Cereal preparations and milling products	3 740 (+39.8%)	1.8
Preparations of fruit, nuts and vegetables	2 887 (-3.7%)	1.4
Other animal products	1 922 (+199.1%)	0.9

The majority of organic operators in Ukraine are certified according to the EU organic regulation and Ukrainian organic legislation. In addition, they are often certified according to the US National Organic Program (NOP) and/or Canada Organic Regime (COR), Bio Suisse (Switzerland), Naturland and Bioland (Germany), KRAV (Sweden).

Stakeholders

Since 2019, the State Institution “Entrepreneurship and Export Promotion Office” (EEPO, Ukraine) has played a leading role in advancing Ukrainian organic exports by creating trade opportunities and facilitating access to international markets. In collaboration with key stakeholders in the organic sector and under the patronage of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, EEPO has organised national pavilions and stands of Ukraine at key international trade fairs, including BIOFACH (Nuremberg, Germany), ANUGA (Cologne, Germany), the Middle East Organic & Natural Products Expo (Dubai, UAE), SIAL (Paris, France), and more. Additionally, EEPO co-organises numerous export-focused events in Ukraine, attracting a broad international audience, such as the Conference on the Export of Ukrainian Organic Products During the War, which held its third edition in 2024.

I. Organic Ukraine is a non-governmental organisation of producers of organic certified products, founded in 2013. It unites exclusively certified organic operators and has important partners for the organic business. The organisation is dedicated to fostering growth in both the Ukrainian and international organic markets. Currently, it represents approximately 70 organic producers.

II. Organic Federation of Ukraine, established in 2005, promotes the organic movement in Ukraine. Its initiatives encompass not only the production, processing, and export of organic products but also the development of domestic market demand and the widespread promotion of organic farming principles and values.

III. Organic Initiative, founded in 2019 and officially registered as a public association in 2023, serves as a platform for key Ukrainian organic stakeholders. It which aims to promote organic value-added trade in domestic and international markets and to support the overall development of the organic sector in Ukraine.

IV. Ukrainian Berries Association, founded in 2017, is a business association that unites all professional players in the fruit and berry market. Its members are exclusively legal entities specialising in the cultivation and processing of berries and stone fruits, including organic. The association plays a key role as an implementer of numerous initiatives funded by international development partners and is an organiser of prominent industry events, practical business tours within Ukraine and internationally, educational training sessions, and national pavilions at major international trade fairs.

V. Organic Standard LLC founded in 2007, is Ukraine’s only accredited organic certification body recognised by the European Union, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Canada. As an accredited certification body, it provides inspection and certification services in compliance with a range of standards, including Ukraine’s organic legislation, EU organic regulations, the Canada Organic Regime (COR), Bio Suisse (Switzerland), Naturland (Germany), KRAV (Sweden), Donau Soja and Europe Soya, as well as the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC EU and ISCC PLUS) and inputs for organic production..

VI. International Charitable Organisation “Information Center “Green Dossier” is an information center that promotes principles of sustainable development and their integration into national policies and government programs by disseminating objective environmental and social information to mass media, local communities, government and business, involving them to practical action.

VII. OrganicInfo is a specialised information web-portal aimed at promoting organic agriculture, organic agrifood products and a sustainable lifestyle.

International support

I. The Swiss-Ukrainian Programme “Higher Value Added Trade from the Organic and Dairy Sector in Ukraine” (QFTP) (phase II) aims to promote sustainable trade and more and better jobs by strengthening the business competitiveness and capacities of small and medium enterprises in the organic and dairy sectors in Ukraine. . The QFTP is funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and implemented by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL, Switzerland) in partnership with SAFOSO (Switzerland).

II. The Project German-Ukrainian Cooperation in Organic Agriculture (COA), funded by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, contributes in particular to the efficient and sustainable development of agriculture in Ukraine through its focus on the promotion of organic production.

III. The Swiss Import Promotion Programme (SIPPO) is a well-established mandate of the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) within the framework of its economic development cooperation. SIPPO aims to better integrate developing and emerging countries into world trade.

Data on organic export from Ukraine and market intelligence

In Ukraine, data on the organic export market has been gathered annually since 2016 through the Organic Market Study of Ukraine. This study is conducted by Organic Standard in partnership with OrganicInfo.ua and supported by Switzerland within the Swiss-Ukrainian Programme “Higher Value Added Trade from the Organic and Dairy Sector in Ukraine” (QFTP). The results from the 2023 Organic Market Study are presented in the following infographics:

1. More infographics about the organic market in Ukraine are here.

The EEPO has prepared and distributed numerous organic market intelligence products on international market analysis and trends.

2. Dashboard on Ukrainian organic exports

The dashboard provides data for the years 2018–2023, broken down by specific product categories that were exported. The dashboard allows users to assess the volumes of certified organic product exports from Ukraine, broken down by product groups and detailed product categories, as well as the countries to which Ukrainian organic products are exported. The data is presented in tons.

The dashboard contains 3 pages:

On the main page, you can view data by product categories and classes and the export dynamics by countries and classes. It is also possible to analyse the total export of organic products from Ukraine and by classes for destination countries.
The second page presents data by classes, product groups, and products. Additionally, you can review the dynamic changes in products here.
The third page shows data by the HS codes: by groups (2-digit codes), categories (4-digit codes), and subcategories (6-digit codes).

Catalogue of Ukrainian Organic Exporters

To promote Ukrainian organic exporters, the Catalogue of Ukrainian Organic Exporters was developed and widely disseminated. The catalogue features 80 profiles of organic product exporters from all regions of Ukraine, including contact details and information about their products.

The Catalogue of Ukrainian Organic Exporters is developed by the EEPO within the framework of the state project Diia.Business in partnership with the Organic Standard, under the auspices of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, and supported by Switzerland within the framework of the Swiss-Ukrainian Programme QFTP.

Success Stories of Organic Exporters

More than EUR 1 million: how BIOFACH facilitated conclusion of contracts to supply to Germany, Italy, and the Czech Republic
From participation in BIOFACH to signing contracts worth half a million euros: the journey of organic producer Eco Berry
Participation in international trade fairs is a tool for attracting new contracts: the story of walnut brand Slow Walnuts
Strengthening the partnership and impact of BIOFACH on Podillyaagrobusiness’ export history
How BIOFACH 2023 helped Ukrainian organic watermelons and melons to enter the EU markets
From participation in BIOFACH 2023 to securing contracts worth EUR 700 000: a story of UKR-WALNUT
From visitor to exhibitor: Arnika Organic’s journey and results of participation in BIOFACH 2023

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