Exports of Ukrainian dairy products have almost doubled imports, indicating that the industry is thriving despite the war.

Last year, Ukraine exported 118,000 tons of dairy products, surpassing imports by nearly 100%. Export revenue reached $296.8M, an increase of 16% from 2023 and 20% from 2021. The largest export categories included powdered and condensed milk, which accounted for 25%, and cheeses, which made up 18%. In contrast, last year, 60,270 tons of dairy products valued at $290M were imported into Ukraine, with cheeses representing 78% of these imports.

Despite the ongoing war, the number of cows in the industrial sector increased by 1% over the year. The top five regions for industrial cattle population, together comprising 51% of the total in Ukraine, are the Poltava region with 52,700 heads, the Cherkasy region with 44,000, the Chernihiv region with 35,400, the Kyiv region with 34,000, and the Vinnytsia region with 31,500. The most significant growth in industrial cattle population was observed in the Mykolaiv region (+14%) and the Ternopil region (+10%).

Over 90% of the raw milk that is processed comes from industrial farms. Currently, there are 125 dairy farms being constructed or modernized in Ukraine.