Farmers in Mykolaiv Oblast took out loans in 2026 to keep their farms operating while struggling to sell their produce at a favorable price. The amount of funding was announced at a briefing by Volodymyr Afanasiev, chief specialist in the Department of Agricultural Production at the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration.
“In Mykolaiv Oblast, 520 farmers have used credit funds, with total loans amounting to UAH 3.74 billion. This includes 328 businesses that received a total of UAH 2.05 billion under the government’s ‘Affordable Loans 5–7–9’ program,” said Volodymyr Afanasiev.
Thus, farms received more than half of all borrowed funds through the government program. The Regional Military Administration says the need for loans stems from difficulties selling produce: problems with port operations have driven purchase prices down, while fuel and fertilizer have become more expensive.
“As a result, farmers have limited financial resources for their business operations,” said Volodymyr Afanasiev.
At the same time, this year’s grain harvest in the region exceeded last year’s by 800,000 tonnes. However, export difficulties have also limited farms’ ability to earn money from selling their crops.
The fertilizer shortage is making the situation even more difficult. In 2025, Ukrainian companies supplied just 37% of the country’s fertilizer needs. In March 2026, reports said fertilizer production in Ukraine had declined due to electricity supply problems. The shortage could reduce crop yields by around 20%.
In August 2026, Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Taras Vysotskyi announced loans for the autumn sowing campaign. The terms were as follows:
- interest rate — 10% per year;
- loan amount — up to UAH 90 million;
- loan term — until March 31, 2027;
- grain could be used as collateral.
According to Volodymyr Afanasiev, access to financing, together with other support measures, enabled farmers in the region to sow winter crops for the 2027 harvest on a scale close to the previous year’s.
We previously reported:
- Waiting for a better price: farmers in Mykolaiv Oblast receive grain storage bags
- More grain, but hard to sell: farmers in Mykolaiv Oblast harvest 2.8 million tonnes
- Protecting grain and preparing for sowing: Italy to help farmers in Odesa Oblast
- Free diesel for sowing: Mykolaiv farmers receive fuel cards
- Farmers may run short of money for sowing: Ukrainian agricultural producers lose 60% of their reserves
