The Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine has presented a draft Strategy for the Development of the Dairy Industry through 2035, which provides for increasing the production of high-value-added products, modernizing processing facilities, expanding exports, and harmonizing legislation with European Union requirements.
According to the ministry’s press service on Monday, one of the key goals is to increase the value of dairy exports to $800 million by 2035, up from $401.36 million in 2025.
The share of high-value-added products in exports, including caseinates, milk protein concentrates, and infant formula, is expected to reach 40%.
The strategy also envisions attracting at least EUR1 billion in investment in dairy processing by 2030, creating around 40 modern full-cycle dairy processing facilities, and constructing at least 100 industrial dairy farms.
According to the document, Ukraine’s dairy industry faces a number of structural challenges, including the consequences of the full-scale war, a shrinking domestic market, insufficient investment, limited access to foreign markets, a shadow production segment, and an inadequate level of technological development at enterprises.
According to the strategy’s developers, Ukraine’s share of global milk production declined from 3.6% in 1992 to 0.7% in 2024. At the same time, production has become increasingly concentrated: the number of farms with up to 50 cows fell from 985 to 317 between 2015 and 2025, while the number of farms with more than 1,000 cows increased from 64 to 76.
The strategy’s authors emphasize that the industry has demonstrated resilience during the war. In 2025, industrial processors handled more than 3.6 million tonnes of milk, compared with 3.2 million tonnes in pre-war 2021. Dairy exports rose by 12% last year to 131,900 tonnes, while foreign currency revenue increased by 35% to $401.36 million.
Among the strategy’s priorities are adapting Ukrainian legislation to EU standards, combating counterfeit products and the shadow market, supporting enterprise modernization, developing laboratory control systems, expanding export geography, and promoting the Ukrainian dairy brand in foreign markets.
The document also takes into account global industry trends through 2035, including production decarbonization, digitalization and full product traceability, automation of farms and processing facilities, the use of artificial intelligence technologies, growing demand for organic and functional products, and increasingly stringent environmental requirements in international markets.
The ministry clarified that the draft document was presented at a meeting of the Working Group on Dairy Industry Development. Participants also discussed the operational plan for implementing the strategy in 2027-2029.
The Ministry of Economy is inviting business representatives, industry associations, research institutions, and the expert community to participate in the public discussion of the document. Proposals and comments on the draft strategy will be accepted through July 18, 2026.
