Despite the war and economic uncertainty, Ukraine’s agricultural sector has shown resilience, with over 8,600 new agribusinesses registered since 2021, according to data from the Unified State Register. While many companies have also shut down during this period, the sector is gradually recovering and adapting to new realities.
Growth and Decline Amid War
The most active year for agribusiness registration was 2021, when 2,678 new agricultural companies were established—just before the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. As expected, the number of new businesses dropped in 2022 to 1,558, but signs of recovery appeared in 2023, with 1,697 new companies. In the first half of 2025, 869 new agribusinesses have already been launched.
However, not all companies survived the ongoing challenges. Between 2021 and 2025, 3,416 agricultural businesses ceased operations. The highest number of closures occurred in 2021 (1,070) and 2024 (685), while 536 businesses have already shut down this year.
Where Agribusiness Is Thriving — and Struggling
Certain regions have emerged as leaders in agribusiness activity. The Odessa region recorded the highest number of new agricultural companies (612), followed closely by Kyiv (600), Lviv (597), Vinnytsia (591), and Dnipropetrovsk (535).
In contrast, the fewest new companies were registered in frontline and high-risk areas such as Luhansk (40), Donetsk (101), and Zaporizhzhia (147). Western regions like Chernivtsi (120) and Zakarpattia (171) also saw relatively low numbers of new agricultural businesses.
In terms of closures, Odessa again topped the list with 606 agricultural businesses shutting down. Other regions with significant losses include Dnipropetrovsk (225), Khmelnytskyi (201), Kyiv region (199), and Mykolaiv (191). The lowest number of closures was seen in Luhansk (21), Donetsk (49), Ivano-Frankivsk (49), and Kyiv city (55).
Business Relocation to the West
Since 2021, 1,738 agricultural companies have relocated within Ukraine, with 346 moving to western regions. Lviv region became the most popular destination, attracting 166 companies. Other preferred regions included Rivne (54), Volyn (39), Khmelnytskyi (30), and Zakarpattia (19).
