German-Ukrainian Agricultural Entrepreneurs Forum 2026

Partnership for a Resilient Agricultural Sector 

Initiating and strengthening economic partnerships between German and Ukrainian agriculture and food industries: this was the overarching goal of the German-Ukrainian Agricultural Entrepreneurs Forum 2026, hosted by DLG (Deutsche Landwirtschafts-Gesellschaft / German Agricultural Society) in Frankfurt am Main on 19 May 2026. Organised by DLG with the support of the German-Ukrainian Agri-Policy Dialogue (APD) and the Ukrainian Agri Council, the event brought together Ukrainian and German entrepreneurs, industry association representatives, international financing experts and policymakers under the guiding theme “Partnership for a Resilient Agricultural Sector”. Together, they engaged in an open exchange on the future of Ukraine’s agricultural sector, its resilience in the face of ongoing war, and the prospects for EU integration. The shared interest of all participants in fostering economic partnerships on both sides was clearly palpable throughout.

The APD project, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMLEH), aims to prepare Ukraine and its agricultural sector for accession to the European Union and to actively promote professional and economic exchange between German and Ukrainian market actors. As a project partner, DLG brought its international networking expertise and deep knowledge of agriculture and agribusiness to bear, facilitating a productive exchange between actors from both countries’ industries. 

Ukraine has a highly capable agricultural sector. And that is despite war and ongoing threat. Ukraine can become a powerhouse of agriculture within the EU.

Hubertus Paetow, President of DLG

Solidarity and Strategic Vision: Setting the Stage

The forum opened with clear words on its geopolitical dimension. DLG President Hubertus Paetow stressed the imperative of solidarity: there is no alternative to integrating Ukraine into the EU and its single market, he emphasised — and the process must happen swiftly. “Ukraine has a highly capable agricultural sector. And that is despite war and ongoing threat. Ukraine can become a powerhouse of agriculture within the EU,” said the DLG President. 

Dr Olga Trofimtseva, APD project director and former Ukrainian Minister of Agriculture, added: “We are supporting the Ukrainian agricultural sector in very practical, hands-on ways in its preparations for EU accession. Ukrainian agriculture and food production is a model of resilience and flexibility — capable of effective crisis management. We continue to farm innovatively, despite the brutal, ongoing war.” 

Michael Prinz zu Salm-Salm, moderator of the forum and founder of Salm-Salm und Partner GmbH, repeatedly expressed his admiration for the Ukrainian industry, which continues to develop and innovate even in a state of ongoing war.

These assessments reflected the overarching tone of the entire event: Ukraine is not a supplicant, but a strategic partner whose agricultural potential strengthens Europe as a whole. Andriy Dykun, President of the Association of Milk Producers of Ukraine (AMP) and of the Ukrainian Agri Council (UAC), underlined Ukraine’s economic independence: before the war, Ukraine exported its agricultural products to virtually every region of the world — to Asia, Africa and the Americas. “Russia was our main competitor, not European farmers,” he stated plainly, in order to counter potential reservations on the European side regarding Ukraine’s EU accession. While the war caused around 20 export markets to collapse almost overnight, he said, Ukraine is ready and determined to reclaim those markets and open new ones. 

Russia was our main competitor, not European farmers.

Andriy Dykun, Ukrainian Agri Council (UAC)

Dairy Farming Under Wartime Conditions: Resilience and Potential

A key thematic focus of the forum was Ukraine’s dairy sector. Andriy Dykun presented a compelling stocktake: ten of Ukraine’s 24 regions are directly affected by the war or under occupation — regions that together account for 42% of Ukraine’s milk production. Direct agricultural losses since 24 February 2022 amount to over USD 8.7 billion, with 52% of those losses in the livestock sector. And yet: Ukraine remains a net exporter of dairy products, and production has actually expanded in safer regions.

The example of the Agromol farm in the Kharkiv region illustrated the extreme conditions under which Ukrainian farmers operate: the farm, home to 1,500 cows, was deliberately shelled multiple times between 2022 and 2025, losing 70% of its herd and 50% of its buildings — and continues to operate today.

Kees Huizinga, CEO of the Dutch-led Kischenzi Dairy Farm in Ukraine, offered a personal glimpse into the realities of doing business in a war zone. In the single week of 11–17 May 2026, Russia fired over 1,850 drones and at least 62 missiles into Ukraine. Despite this, Kischenzi operates one of the most modern dairy facilities in the country — including an 80-place rotary parlour by GEA — and has established itself as a training hub for the entire Ukrainian dairy industry: over 1,000 professionals have been trained through more than 60 hands-on courses and 300 online events.

Huizinga emphasised the enormous growth potential of Ukraine’s dairy sector: with just 0.02 cows per hectare — compared to 0.9 in Germany and 2.3–2.7 in the Netherlands — the scope for expansion is vast. 
 

Energy Autonomy as a Competitive Advantage: Practical Case Studies from Ukraine

A further central theme was the energy supply of Ukrainian agricultural enterprises. Oleksandr Chumak, founder of Michurina+ in the north of the Odesa region, described vividly how his 3,300-hectare operation achieved energy autonomy — driven by the necessity of responding to war-related power outages and finding solutions to keep operations running. After daily blackouts of up to 14–16 hours during the autumn and winter seasons of 2023–2025, the company built its own smart microgrid: 410 kWp of rooftop photovoltaics combined with 430 kWh of battery storage now deliver full energy independence from March through October. The results speak for themselves: a fivefold reduction in energy costs, zero broken export contracts, and long-term protection against tariff volatility. “Ukraine can build a decentralised energy grid that Russia cannot destroy,” Chumak asserted. 

"Ukraine can build a decentralised energy grid that Russia cannot destroy.“
Oleksandr Chumak, Founder ofMichurina+

Georgii Geletukha, Head of the Board of the Bioenergy Association of Ukraine (UABIO), presented Ukraine’s enormous biomethane potential. With a total capacity of up to 21.8 billion cubic metres of methane per year — derived from harvest residues, livestock waste, cover crops, corn silage and municipal waste — Ukraine possesses the highest biomethane potential of any country in Europe. Six biomethane plants are already operational, with a combined capacity of 108 million cubic metres, all certified under the internationally recognised ISCC EU standard. In 2025, Ukrainian biomethane was exported to the German market for the first time — a milestone that underscores the potential of the Ukrainian-German energy partnership in agriculture. By 2050, Geletukha estimated, Ukraine could supply up to 20% of the EU’s biomethane needs. 

 

Financing and Institutional Support: World Bank and Rentenbank

Recovery cannot happen without financing. Dr Holger Kray, Regional Manager for Agriculture & Food in Europe and Central Asia at the World Bank, presented the Ukraine AgriFood Support: Agriculture Recovery Inclusive Support Emergency (ARISE) project. Under this programme, over 13,295 agricultural SMEs have been supported with subsidised credit, 12.8 million hectares of cropland — more than half of Ukraine’s total arable area — have been reached, and USD 4 billion in private capital has been mobilised. In addition, 57,279 small farms have received direct grant support. A new matching grant programme, co-financed by the World Bank and the EU to the tune of USD 75 million, is specifically targeted at small farms in war-affected regions, strengthening their processing and marketing capacities. The World Bank is also working to strengthen Ukraine’s State Agrarian Registry (SAR) and align Ukrainian agricultural standards with EU requirements — a central building block on the path to EU integration.

Caspar von Alvensleben from Landwirtschaftliche Rentenbank presented the model of Germany’s specialised agricultural development bank: with an AAA credit rating, a balance sheet of EUR 95.5 billion and a network of over 900 partner banks, Rentenbank finances the entire agricultural value chain — from primary production to marketing. Von Alvensleben expressed his conviction that this model could serve as a blueprint for building similar structures in Ukraine, particularly with regard to EU approximation and access to long-term investment finance.

Conclusion: Courage, Competence and the Power of Partnership

The German-Ukrainian Agricultural Entrepreneurs Forum 2026 demonstrated compellingly that Ukraine’s agricultural sector is not standing still despite a brutal war — it is innovating, investing and exporting. The message from Ukrainian entrepreneurs was clear and consistent: we are strong, we are ready, and we need partners, not sympathy. Through events like this forum, the APD Ukraine project makes a vital contribution to shaping the necessary dialogue between German and Ukrainian actors on equal terms — and to accompanying Ukraine, step by step, on its path into the European Union. 

Stefanie Pionke / DLG-Newsroom