The state budget for 2026 provides for significant expenditures to support the agro-industrial complex, but the implementation of some programs is under threat due to a possible deficit in the special fund. The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Agrarian and Land Policy Oleksandr Haidu warned of a possible shortage of funds of about UAH 3.5–4 billion, which may affect the implementation of certain areas of state support. Agroweek reports on this, reports the PromPolitInform portal.
Budget structure and risk areas
The estimate for the development and support of the agricultural sector provides for more than UAH 13 billion. However, actual payments under individual programs directly depend on the receipts to the special fund. If they turn out to be lower than forecast, the government will have to reconsider the prioritization of expenditures and temporarily adjust financing.
The most vulnerable areas that currently risk receiving only partial support or being delayed include:
development of industrial berry growing;
support for domestic viticulture;
grant assistance for the construction and modernization of greenhouse complexes.
The Committee notes that it is still difficult to predict which items may be reduced, but mechanisms for redistributing resources are already being discussed. The main principle will remain to maintain funding for the most critical areas of the industry.
Financing priorities: frontline areas and state guarantees
Despite the projected deficit of UAH 3.5–4 billion, the state has identified support for farms operating in frontline areas as an undisputed priority: these payments will be provided in any case. For other categories of agricultural producers, options for temporarily postponing payments are being considered in order to preserve the overall financial stability of the sector.
“If farmers who applied for certain programs do not receive funds this year, they will be first in line for payments in the next budget period,” the head of the committee noted.
In fact, this is about the transfer of budget obligations, not their final cancellation: those who do not receive support this year will have priority in the next budget cycle.
Key indicators of budget allocations look like this:
total amount of support – over 13 billion UAH;
projected deficit of the special fund – 3.5-4 billion UAH;
critical areas – berry growing, viticulture, greenhouse complexes;
strategic priority – agricultural producers in front-line territories.
The situation with filling the budget is under control by the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food. Industry experts advise farmers to closely monitor updates to the regulatory framework and payment schedules on the official resources of the Ministry of Finance in order to promptly respond to possible changes in the mechanisms for distributing grants and subsidies.
Parliamentary committees are simultaneously working on options for additional coverage of the deficit, including attracting international assistance and optimizing spending in non-core items of the state budget to minimize the impact on the strategic needs of food security.
