Ukraine has regained the top spot as the European Union's main corn supplier, according to import figures from the European Commission.
At the start of this season, Brazil was the European Union's main supplier of corn. This corn was primarily shipped to Spain, the Netherlands, and Italy. Spain purchased more than half of the 3 million tons of corn shipped from Brazil.
In addition, supplies from the United States increased significantly. Until recently, the US provided the largest volume of corn to continental Europe. A total of over 3,4 million tons of corn came from the US. Of that, over 2,3 million tons went to Spain and 740.000 tons to Portugal. The Netherlands purchased very little corn from the US; less than 25.000 tons.
Imports from the US were somewhat quieter in late January and early February, despite the fact that plenty of corn from Ukraine arrived during that period. Partly as a result, imports from Ukraine have now risen to 3,8 million tons. A striking detail is that both the US and Ukraine delivered approximately 145.000 tons last week, indicating that the flow from the US has not yet completely ground to a halt.
Ukrainian corn enjoys wider demand in the EU than Brazilian and American corn. Italy is Ukraine's largest buyer, with over 1,5 million tons. The Netherlands follows with 635.000 tons, and Spain follows closely behind. However, Slovenia, Greece, and Cyprus also import large quantities from Ukraine.
Total grain maize imports into the EU now total 11 million tons. This still leaves imports down by more than 2,1 million tons compared to last year. Imports were also down by about 1 million tons compared to the previous year.
This is remarkable, as corn production in 2025 was lower than in the previous two years. Yields last year were on par with those in 2024, but the area under cultivation was smaller. Compared to 2023, yields were significantly lower, and this was not sufficiently offset by slightly more hectares.