Poland and Hungary decided on Saturday to ban imports of grain and other agricultural products from neighboring Ukraine to protect their own farmers, officials from both countries said.
Ukrainian grain destined for foreign countries has transited through the European Union since the traditional export route through the Black Sea was blocked by the Russian invasion. But due to logistical problems, grain stocks are building up in Poland, driving down local prices, prompting protests by farmers and the resignation of Poland’s agriculture minister.
“Today (Saturday) the government decided to ban imports of cereals into Poland, as well as dozens of other agri-food products,” ruling party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski said in the northern Polish town of Lyse. Otherwise, “it would lead to a serious crisis in Poland’s agricultural sector,” he added.
Addressing a meeting of his Law and Justice (PiS) party, Kaczynski stressed that Poland nonetheless continues to stand firmly behind Ukraine. “We remain, without the slightest change, friends and allies of Ukraine,” he said. Ukraine’s Ministry of Agricultural Policy, however, said on Saturday it “regrets the decision of its Polish counterpart.”
Prohibitions valid until June 30
The latter proposed that the two countries reach an agreement in the coming days that would satisfy them mutually.
In a move similar to Poland’s, Hungary’s agriculture minister said in a Facebook post that his country had banned the import of agricultural products from Ukraine. Poland and Hungary said their bans were valid until June 30.
In Poland, import bans apply to cereals, sugar, meat, fruits and vegetables, milk, eggs and other food products. On the Hungarian side, they are cereals, oilseeds and various other agricultural products, indicates a statement from the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture released by the MTI news agency.
Last month, Poland and four other Central European states asked the European Union for help in finding a solution to the problem caused by the low price of Ukrainian cereals. In its press release, Budapest stresses that “the government expects a permanent solution and the adoption of EU measures”, stressing the need to defend “the interests of the Hungarian agricultural community”.
Source: BFM TV
