Ukraine proposed to the EU to change the mechanism for exporting agricultural products.

The Ministry of Agricultural Policy and Food proposes a new way for the European Union to export Ukrainian agricultural products. Instead of unpredictability, shipments will occur on a schedule, making exports more predictable. This was stated by Minister Vitaly Kovaly in an interview with Forbes Ukraine.

Kovaly noted that EU countries need greater predictability. To alleviate the tension that arose in previous years, the Ministry proposed to the EU to export a certain amount of products per month on a schedule.

'There is a risk that the regime of autonomous trade preferences will continue to be in effect and then will be canceled. Therefore, my main task this year is to diversify exports,' the minister stated.

As of the end of last year, the share of agricultural products exported to the EU decreased from 61% to 52%. The Ministry plans to reduce this figure to 40%.

The Ministry is also diversifying exports to the EU. Last year, Africa became an opening market, with its share in agro-exports increasing by 3% to 11%. Trade turnover with the Middle East, Africa, and Southeast Asia also increased. In particular, the volume of exports to Lebanon increased by 2.5 times.

In 2024, the EU extended the duty-free trade regime with Ukraine until June 2025, halting tariffs and quotas on the export of Ukrainian products. However, starting from June 2024, the EU introduced quotas on the export of six types of agricultural products: eggs, sugar, honey, grain, wheat, and poultry meat. The updated regime will be in effect until June 5 of this year. The quota for sugar exports for 2025 is 107,238 tons, and for poultry meat – 55,536 tons, which is half of the previous year.

In January 2025, the European Commission began negotiations with Ukraine regarding changes to the terms of preferential trade. The current agreement provides for the suspension of tariffs and quotas on exports to the EU until June 2025, but possible changes to the terms of this agreement are being discussed.