Following the official opening of the Chinese market to Ukrainian peas, the investment appeal of this segment is increasing not only for traders, but also for deep-processing projects. Against this backdrop, Ukraine already has investment projects in pea processing that are ready for implementation, with budgets of tens of millions of euros and a focus on global markets.
China has officially opened its market to Ukrainian peas after completing an audit of Ukrainian enterprises and the laboratory control system. At present, only two Ukrainian companies that participated in the inspection and comply with the requirements of the bilateral protocol have received export approval. At the same time, a broader group of market participants is already taking shape in Ukraine for this segment: three companies are included in the list of exporters, while another four are cultivating peas for shipments to China.
For investors, this is a signal that peas in Ukraine are gradually moving beyond the category of traditional agricultural raw materials into a segment with a new export and processing premium. The opening of the Chinese market creates additional external demand and therefore strengthens the economic rationale for investment not only in cultivation, but also in storage, logistics, sorting, and deep processing of peas.
Notably, a specific investment project in the pea deep-processing segment has already been prepared in parallel in Ukraine. According to InVenture, the project involves the construction of a processing plant in Kyiv region with a budget of €16 million, plus an additional €5 million in working capital. The project envisages an IRR of 18.3%, an NPV of €12.5 million, and a discounted payback period of 6.53 years. Implementation is scheduled to begin in 2026, with a one-year rollout period, while operational launch is expected in 2027. The project is already at the ready-for-implementation stage, and the proposed financing formats include equity participation, debt/grant funding, and project financing.
The investment thesis behind such a project is based not only on raw material exports, but on the production of higher value-added products. The plant is designed to produce pea protein concentrate, flour, fiber, and modified starch, which can be used in the food industry, sports and functional nutrition, meat and dairy alternatives, as well as in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and pet food.
According to the project presentation, the planned capacity is 35,000 tonnes per year, with key demand drivers identified as rising demand for plant-based proteins and a shortage of protein feed in the EU. The company also states directly that there is currently no competition in this segment in Ukraine, while nearly 100% of the raw material can be utilized within a biorefining model. Additional advantages include a sufficient raw material base within a 300-kilometer radius, lower labor costs compared with EU countries, and signed memorandums of intent with equipment manufacturers.
Separately, the project is based on a “dry” fractionation technology that does not require water or chemical reagents and is less energy-intensive than “wet” processing methods. The presentation emphasizes that this solution is aligned with the logic of the green economy, supports decarbonization, and strengthens the resilience of the Ukrainian economy through export diversification. The project is also expected to create 54 new jobs.
Thus, the opening of the Chinese market to Ukrainian peas may become not only an important development for exporters, but also a trigger for a new cycle of investment across the entire value chain — from cultivation and trading to deep-processing plants. And while the market was previously built primarily around raw material sales, an increasingly visible model is now emerging in which peas are viewed as a base for the production of high-margin ingredients for global demand.
