The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has stepped up support for Ukraine’s struggling agricultural sector by partnering with UKRSIBBANK BNP Paribas Group to back YEDNIST’ GROUP, a leading Ukrainian feed producer and supplier of integrated livestock farming solutions.
Risk-sharing loan details
Under a risk-sharing agreement between the 2 institutions, the EBRD will cover up to 60% of the risk—equivalent to $10.2 million—on a $17 million loan extended by UKRSIBBANK to YEDNIST’ GROUP. The financing is intended to help the company maintain production of compound feed and premixes, as well as pet food and veterinary products, while also supporting the expansion of domestic and export sales amid heightened economic uncertainty, the parties said in a joint statement on January 23.
Broader support initiatives
The agreement is part of the EBRD’s broader efforts to sustain Ukraine’s agri-food sector during the ongoing conflict and its economic fallout. Since the start of the war, the bank has increasingly relied on risk-sharing instruments with local and international partner banks to ensure continued access to financing for key agricultural producers.
This is not the first time the EBRD has extended targeted support to Ukraine’s agricultural industry. In September 2025, the bank guaranteed $5 million of risk on a new $12.256 million loan provided by its partner, Credit Agricole Ukraine, to Dniprovska Group, a major Ukrainian poultry producer with which the EBRD has maintained an 8-year relationship.
Feed industry under pressure
The latest financing comes at a particularly challenging moment for Ukraine’s feed industry, which market participants say is struggling to remain operational. In recent weeks, feed mills across the country have repeatedly faced interruptions to electricity, heating and water supplies as damage to energy infrastructure has caused widespread blackouts.
As a result of power shortages, many feed producers have been forced to switch to partial or intermittent operations, raising concerns about the stability of feed supply for livestock producers and the wider food chain. Industry representatives warn that prolonged disruptions could further weaken an already fragile sector.
The difficulties facing feed producers reflect broader challenges across Ukraine’s agricultural economy. In 2025, total agricultural output declined by 6.8% compared with the previous year, according to calculations by the Ukrainian State Statistical Service. Output in the livestock sector fell by 4.1% over the same period.
Government livestock recovery measures
Against this backdrop, the Ukrainian government has recently rolled out a State Target Economic Program for the development of the livestock industry through 2033. While the programme does not yet contain detailed implementation measures or funding mechanisms, officials say it is designed to lay the groundwork for the sector’s recovery once hostilities with Russia come to an end.
During the conflict, the government noted, a significant number of agricultural enterprises were destroyed, damaged or forced to suspend operations. Access to critical resources, logistics infrastructure and key sales markets has also been severely constrained.
“The adopted decision is aimed at restoring the production potential of the industry, stabilising and increasing the number of agricultural animals, reducing import dependence and forming long-term conditions for the sustainable development of animal husbandry, as well as strengthening Ukraine’s food security,” the government said in an explanatory note accompanying the programme.
Industry participants say continued international financial support, including from institutions such as the EBRD, will remain critical to keeping the sector afloat until conditions allow for a broader recovery.
