Ukraine is getting ready to tackle one of its most irrational food problems — growing a good vegetable harvest, but losing up to a third of it on the way to consumers. In 2026, the Ministry of Economy plans to launch a new grant program that will compensate part of the costs for the construction of modern vegetable storage facilities. The Verkhovna Rada’s agricultural committee expects that thanks to this support, the number of such facilities will finally start to grow.
Why storage suddenly became a state priority
Deputies admit: in 2025 farmers planted vegetables quite actively, but faced the same old wall — there is nowhere to store them long-term. As a result, a part of the harvest is sold “from the field” at low prices, and another part simply doesn’t make it to spring. Then, in March–April, the market is filled with imported onions, carrots, cabbage and potatoes — and they are always more expensive than Ukrainian produce.
The committee says directly: if we don’t build storages, every spring we will “import the deficit,” although the country is capable of providing itself.
What’s wrong with storage now
According to experts cited by the committee:
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the deficit of vegetable storage capacities in Ukraine exceeds 1.1 million tons;
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due to the lack of modern warehouses with refrigeration, humidity control and sorting lines, up to 35% of the vegetable harvest never reaches the buyer;
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this undermines food security and makes prices unstable — cheap in autumn, sharp jumps in spring.
This is especially sensitive in wartime, when logistics is more expensive, some regions are under shelling, and it is simply dangerous to import through some routes.
What the program will look like
The Ministry of Economy is preparing a grant program for 2026 with an annual budget of about 200 million UAH. The target audience is:
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small and medium farmers who want to store their own harvest;
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processing enterprises that need stable raw materials;
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cooperatives that can build a warehouse “for several farms at once.”
Most likely, the grants will co-finance construction — that is, the state pays part, and the business pays part. This approach is already used in other agrarian programs, so farmers understand the mechanism.
What this will change for the market
If even several dozen storages of 3–5 thousand tons appear in different regions, it will give the market three effects at once:
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Smoothing seasonal spikes. More Ukrainian vegetables will reach spring → less need for imports → lower price pressure.
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Better quality. Proper cooling and sorting means the product can be sold to retail chains, not just on wholesale markets.
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Greater stability for farmers. You don’t have to dump the crop in autumn at any price — you can hold it and sell gradually.
“In recent years, we have had to import products in the spring to fill the market, but they will definitely never be cheaper or of better quality than ours,” the committee stressed — and this is, in fact, the key logic of the program.
Why 2026
Now the ministry is still finalizing the instrument and the budget. Launching it from 2026 will allow to:
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lay funds in the state budget;
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approve rules and selection criteria;
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prepare project documentation — storage is not a greenhouse, it needs engineering, power, ventilation, and often connection to the grid for refrigeration.
Bottom line
Ukraine already grows enough vegetables, but loses too much of them because of infrastructure, not because of the field. A targeted grant program for storage is one of the cheapest state interventions: for 200 million UAH a year the country can save harvests worth much more, stabilize prices for consumers and reduce import dependence in spring. Now the ball is on the government’s side — to launch the rules in time so that farmers can start building in 2026.
