Ukraine’s near-total reliance on imported almonds is creating a potentially attractive market opportunity for domestic horticultural producers. The country imported 4,201 tonnes of shelled almonds worth more than €23 million over the past year, while experience with commercial varieties, increasing mechanisation options and government grant programmes are helping create the conditions for developing local production, EastFruit reports, citing SEEDS.
The prospects for commercial almond growing in Ukraine were discussed during the webinar “Almonds in Ukraine — New Agribusiness Opportunities 2026”, where Ukrainian and international experts shared practical experience in establishing modern almond orchards.
Almonds are increasingly being considered one of the potentially promising niches within Ukraine’s nut sector, according to Hennadii Yudin, Head of the Ukrainian Nut Association.
He pointed out that almonds already dominate the global nut industry in terms of production volumes.
“Ukraine is part of the global nut industry, so we should first look at the overall structure of global production. Almonds are the world’s leading nut crop, accounting for 33% of total global nut production,” Yudin said.
Walnuts rank second with a 19% share, followed by cashews at 18% and pistachios at 15%. Hazelnuts complete the top five, accounting for around 10% of global nut production, according to the figures presented during the webinar.
Ukraine remains heavily dependent on almond imports
Despite its potential to develop domestic production, Ukraine currently remains a net importer of almonds and almond products.
This means that virtually all almonds used by Ukrainian consumers and food manufacturers are supplied from abroad.
According to Yudin, imports have continued to increase.
“Over the past year, Ukraine imported 4,201 tonnes of shelled almonds worth more than €23 million. These figures illustrate the scale of the market that could potentially be partly supplied by domestic production,” he said.
The import bill provides an important indication of the commercial opportunity for Ukrainian growers. Even partial substitution of imported almonds with locally grown produce could create a sizeable domestic market for new orchards.
However, commercial potential will ultimately depend not only on market demand but also on selecting varieties capable of delivering stable yields under Ukrainian growing conditions.
Almond varieties have been tested in Ukraine since 2017
The Ukrainian Nut Association has been studying almond varieties suitable for commercial production for several years.
“We started working on this issue back in 2017, when the first experimental almond plot was established in the Odesa region,” Yudin said.
Since then, trials and practical observations have expanded beyond Ukraine’s traditional southern growing areas.
According to the Association, experience has now been accumulated with a wide range of almond varieties grown in different parts of the country, including varieties that have demonstrated good adaptation and fruiting performance under local conditions.
This is important for the future of the sector because almond production carries specific agronomic risks, particularly sensitivity to spring frosts during flowering. The choice of suitable production areas, varieties and orchard technology will therefore be critical for investors considering commercial projects.
At the same time, the combination of a sizeable import-dependent domestic market, accumulated varietal experience, opportunities for mechanised orchard management and available support programmes suggests that almonds could gradually develop into a new specialised segment of Ukraine’s commercial horticulture.
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