Sugar war: EU to sharply reduce supplies from Ukraine

The European Commission is planning to significantly cut imports of Ukrainian sugar due to complaints from European producers about market price drops. The reduction in imports is attributed to the abolition of tariffs on Ukrainian agricultural products in 2022, which resulted in a surge in sugar exports from Ukraine to the EU. However, following a return to previous import quotas, sugar exports to the EU have decreased, leading to concerns about market pressure and falling prices. As a result, the EU is considering further reducing the import quota, while Ukrainian producers are seeking alternative markets, with Turkey, Libya, North Macedonia, Somalia, and Sri Lanka showing interest in Ukrainian sugar.

The European Commission plans to sharply reduce imports of Ukrainian sugar after complaints from European producers who reported a collapse in prices on the local market. This issue was discussed by EU Agriculture Commissioner Christoph Hansen with representatives of French farmers' unions in February. According to sources, the EU intends to reduce supplies, although the exact volumes have not yet been announced. This is reported by Komersant. After Russia's invasion in 2022, the EU abolished tariffs on Ukrainian agricultural products, which led to an increase in sugar exports. If before the war the quota was 20 thousand tons, then in 2022/23 deliveries exceeded 400 thousand tons, and in 2023/24 - over 500 thousand tons. In July 2024, Brussels returned the quota to 262.6 thousand tons. Although access to the EU market was restored on January 1, 2025, actual exports in February amounted to only 6,559 tons. Despite this, European farmers believe that even such volumes put pressure ...