Ukrainian farmers are facing a severe shortage of equipment.

Over the past three years, farmers have lost a significant portion of their machinery. According to the Institute of Agrarian Economics, last year agricultural enterprises had 22% fewer tractors, 13.5% fewer combines, and 12% fewer plows than in 2021.

Meanwhile, domestic agricultural machinery manufacturing is being scaled back: Over the past 10 to 15 years, tractor production in Ukraine has decreased by 95%, plows by 90%, cultivators by 85%, seeders by 82%, and mowers by 94%. The share of Ukrainian equipment in the domestic market has fallen from 52% in 2012 to 20.5% in 2023. Despite the drop in imports, reliance on foreign machinery remains high. In 2024, farmers purchased imported equipment worth $988.7M, including tractors costing $404M and combine harvesters valued at $159M.

Thanks to a state program aimed at compensating for the cost of Ukrainian equipment, which was reinstated last year after a pause in 2022-2023, farmers acquired nearly 300 tractors and around 3,000 units of sowing and tillage equipment in 2024.