Ukraine's poultry exports rise 12.5% in eight months as average export prices fall 21%

Ukraine shipped more poultry again in 2026, but the growth is going to Europe and prices are falling: the average export price in August was USD 2.02 per kg, 20.9% below August 2025.

Ukraine exported 330,200 tonnes of poultry meat in January-August 2026, 12.5 percent more than in the same period a year earlier, according to customs data from the State Customs Service. Including edible offal, shipments reached 332,400 tonnes, up 13 percent year on year. August alone accounted for 40,600 tonnes, 1.5 percent below the 41,200 tonnes exported in July, so the growth rate has moderated in the second half of the period covered.

Values moved the other way. One compilation of the eight-month customs figures put poultry meat and offal exports at USD 701.4 million, down 2.3 percent year on year, and the Ukrainian Poultry Farmers' Union - reporting the same 330,200 tonnes and a 12.5 percent increase - put August export earnings at USD 82.2 million, 7.9 percent below July, with an average export price of USD 2.02 per kg, 20.9 percent lower than in August 2025. The association attributes the gap to a change in the product mix and weaker export prices on foreign markets.

Where the volume goes is the part Gulf buyers should read closely:

• Europe takes the growth. The Netherlands was the largest destination with about 20 percent of shipments, followed by the United Kingdom at 11.7 percent and Slovakia at 10.6 percent. EU countries together took 36 percent of export volume (118,900 tonnes) and 47 percent of the export value in the eight-month period.
• The UAE is the fourth market. The Emirates accounted for 6.4 percent of Ukrainian poultry meat exports, making it the largest non-European destination in the top group - a reminder that Ukrainian origin competes with Brazilian and Chinese supply on Gulf shelves.
• Prices favour buyers. A 20.9 percent year-on-year drop in the average export price, in a year when volumes still rose 12.5 percent, signals competitive pressure among origins rather than scarcity.
• Logistics risk has not gone away. Ukraine's poultry sector remains one of the country's few large agricultural export earners with sustained access to European and Middle Eastern markets, but production and shipping still face war-related disruption - cargo routing and lead times need contingency in any contract.

Nau International Food Group supplies frozen halal chicken - boneless skinless breast and leg quarters - from China to the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia. Every consignment ships with a halal certificate, an HACCP certificate (No. 115HACCP2500478), documents for a GACC-registered plant (No. 0900/03003), veterinary and health certificates and a certificate of origin. Product is blast-frozen and held at −18 °C with a 365-day shelf life; packing is 2 kg x 6 for breast and 10 kg x 1 for leg quarters; the minimum order is one 40 ft reefer container (28.008 tonnes); payment is 100% T/T or L/C; shipment is within 30 days of payment receipt. We can arrange customs clearance into Dubai and quote FOB, CIF or DDP Jebel Ali - write to info@naufoodgroup.com.

Source: Ukraine State Customs Service poultry export data for January-August 2026, reported by eFeedLink on 29 September 2026; Ukrainian Poultry Farmers' Union eight-month figures reported by Open4Business on 14 September 2026.