Northern and western regions of Ukraine in 2025 showed colossal harvests of grain crops, despite the war. Some farms received 9-10 tons of winter wheat per hectare – these are record figures that even surpass pre-war results. This was reported by academician Vladyslav Cherchel during a webinar of the All-Ukrainian Farmers’ Congress.
Читай нас також у Viber та Telegram.
“Yields are not decreasing, they remain at least at the level of the best year of 2021,” summed up Vladyslav Cherchel, acting director of the Institute of Grain Crops of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences.
2021 was the most positive year in terms of yields in the history of independent Ukraine – the country harvested 86 million tons of grain and about 16 million tons of sunflower. Ukraine has never harvested so much grain before.
The 22nd year after the start of full-scale war saw a slight decline. But all subsequent years – 2023, 2024, and 2025 – show high yields at the level of the record-breaking 2021.
Corn and wheat set records
Especially impressive are the results for two crops:
Winter wheat. Some farms in the north and west received 9-10 tons per hectare. This is a world-class yield that many European countries can only envy.
Corn. Despite the drought reducing yields in the south and east, the north and west compensated with colossal harvests. Corn has consistently exceeded 6 tons per hectare on average nationwide.
Where the crops flourish
The leaders in terms of yield in 2025 were:
RegionCropYield (c/ha)NoteKhmelnytskyiCorn105Absolute championKhmelnytskyiSunflower30.2KhmelnytskyiSoybean30.2KhmelnytskyiRapeseed31LvivRapeseed35.3Highest in UkraineLvivSoybean30.8TernopilCorn97ChernivtsiRapeseed34KyivSoybean33.2ChernihivSunflower29
Why these regions
Academician Cherchel cites two main reasons for the success of the northern and western regions:
Climatic conditions. These regions have sufficient rainfall. At the same time, for the second year in a row, there has been a drought in the south and east. The loss of the Kakhovka reservoir significantly affected the microclimate of the southern regions.
“The south and east have dried up a bit, while the north – Western Ukraine, Polissia – demonstrated colossal high yields of grain crops,” the scientist notes.
Statistical effect. The occupied territories with traditionally lower yields fell out of the statistics. “Regions that were pulling down dropped out. And now yields are increasing due to the western and northern regions,” Cherchel explains.
War did not stop agriculture
An interesting fact: despite the full-scale war that has been going on for almost three years, Ukrainian agriculture demonstrates remarkable resilience.
Yields remain stable. Moreover, some crops even showed growth. For example, sugar beets during the war became more productive than in the pre-war 2021.
“For such yields, heroes of labor were awarded in the Soviet Union,” jokes Vladyslav Cherchel about sugar beet yields.
What was special this year
2025 had its peculiarities:
Cold spring. The fifth spring in a row turned out to be cold. Moreover, there was the first real frost in spring in 20 years, not just a light frost. Many farms even considered replanting crops.
Drought in the south. Kherson, Mykolaiv, parts of Odesa, and Dnipropetrovsk regions experienced severe drought.
High moisture of corn. In the north and west, where there were high corn yields, the crop turned out to be very moist – 35% and higher. This means additional costs for drying.
However, despite all these challenges, the result turned out to be impressive.
Advice for southern regions
Experts advise farmers in the southern regions not to wait for a miracle but to review the crop structure according to the new climatic realities.
What works in the south now:
Winter crops (winter wheat, winter barley) – practically no longer freeze out.
Early spring crops (peas, spring barley, oil flax) – will form a crop even with minimal moisture.
What to avoid:
Late spring crops (sunflower, grain corn) – in dry conditions, will not yield a normal harvest.
“Emphasizing winter and early spring crops instead of late spring ones can save farms from losses,” Cherchel concludes.
The trend towards the west will continue
Doctor of Economic Sciences Dmytro Liudvenko (NNC)