Ukraine nears completion of early-crop harvest with higher 2026 yields
Ukraine reported higher average yields for wheat, barley, peas and rapeseed as the 2026 early-crop harvest approached completion. Wheat production reached 24.61 million tonnes, while total grain and pulse output stood at 31.73 million tonnes by August 24.
Wheat harvest reaches 24.61 million tonnes
Ukraine is nearing the end of its 2026 early-crop harvest with higher average yields for wheat, barley, peas and rapeseed than at the comparable stage last year. Citing Agriculture Ministry data, Elevatorist reported that farmers had harvested 97% of the wheat area, 98% of barley and 99% of both peas and rapeseed by August 24.
Wheat was collected from 5 million hectares, producing 24.61 million tonnes. The average yield reached 4.92 tonnes per hectare, compared with 4.37 tonnes per hectare a year earlier. The increase of 0.55 tonnes per hectare was equivalent to 12.6%, providing the largest contribution among the early crops to Ukraine’s available grain supply.
Barley yields rose from 3.84 to 4.34 tonnes per hectare, an increase of 0.5 tonnes per hectare, or about 13%. Farmers harvested 1.46 million hectares and produced 6.33 million tonnes. The figures indicate that the barley harvest was also close to completion, leaving limited scope for a major change in the final volume.
Peas and rapeseed also record gains
Average pea yields increased from 2.23 to 2.65 tonnes per hectare. The crop was harvested from 297,000 hectares, generating 786,900 tonnes. With 99% of the area already cleared, the reported volume provides a near-final indication of domestic pea availability for processors, traders and overseas buyers.
Rapeseed yielded an average of 2.86 tonnes per hectare, up from 2.51 tonnes per hectare in 2025. The gain of 0.35 tonnes per hectare, or almost 14%, accompanied production of 3.79 million tonnes from 1.32 million hectares. Because 99% of the rapeseed area had been harvested, this volume offers market participants a firm basis for assessing supplies available to crushers and traders.
The higher yields across all four crops improve the supply position compared with last year’s harvest stage. The source did not provide export forecasts, domestic consumption estimates or prices, so the eventual effect on exportable surpluses and regional quotations will also depend on internal demand, logistics and the remaining harvest.
Odesa leads grain output
Across all grains and pulses, Ukraine had harvested 6.76 million hectares, or 58% of the planned area, by August 24. Output reached 31.73 million tonnes at an average yield of 4.7 tonnes per hectare. By August 28, 2025, farmers had harvested 6.89 million hectares, or 61%, and produced 28.37 million tonnes at 4.12 tonnes per hectare. The reporting dates and completion rates differ, but the 2026 figures show more output from a slightly smaller harvested area.
Odesa region led grain and pulse production with 4.82 million tonnes, followed by Dnipropetrovsk with 2.63 million tonnes and Kirovohrad with 2.42 million tonnes. Odesa also ranked first in 2025, when it produced 3.45 million tonnes at the reported stage. Khmelnytskyi recorded the highest average grain and pulse yield in 2026 at 7.08 tonnes per hectare, compared with its leading result of 7.01 tonnes per hectare a year earlier. For rapeseed, Lviv posted the highest yield at 4.04 tonnes per hectare, up from 3.53, while Vinnytsia recorded the largest crop at 556,200 tonnes. Odesa had led rapeseed output in 2025 with 524,600 tonnes.
