Since February 2022, Russia’s invasion and war in Ukraine has caused significant damage and destruction to Ukraine’s agricultural infrastructure and has affected production and exports of crop out of Ukraine. Total war damages to Ukraine’s agricultural sector have been estimated to be more than $40 billion including direct damages to machinery and equipment and indirect losses associated with lower production, logistical disruptions, and other factors (Kyiv School of Economics, 2023). A significant amount of agricultural land in Ukraine has had landmines installed and demining the agricultural land could cost more than $1.5 billion according to the World Bank.

In 2021, prior to the Russian invasion, Ukraine had record yields for corn, producing more than 42 million metric tons (mmt) Figure 1.  This eclipsed prior ...