A Polish ban on the import of Ukrainian wheat and other food products will also apply to the transit of these products through the country. This was stated by the Polish Minister of Development and Technology, writes the Reuters news agency.
Total ban
Poland and Hungary announced on Saturday that they had decided to ban imports from neighboring Ukraine to protect the local agricultural sector. This is after a tidal wave pushed prices hard across the region. The Polish ban went into effect immediately on Saturday evening. Development and Technology Minister Waldemar Buda now says the ban is “comprehensive, including a ban on transit through Poland”.
“The ban is complete, including the ban on transit through Poland”
Buda added that talks would take place with the Ukrainian side to establish a system that ensures goods only pass through Poland and do not end up on the local market. Ukraine’s agricultural policy ministry said on Saturday that the Polish ban violated existing bilateral agreements on exports.
According to the Ukrainian state agency “Ukrinform”, the Ukrainian and Polish ministers will meet in Poland on Monday. During these discussions, the transit regime will be central.
Black Sea
Ukraine exports most of its agricultural products, mainly wheat, through Black Sea ports, which were unblocked in July thanks to an agreement between Ukraine, Turkey, Russia and the United Nations. About three million tons of grain leave Ukraine each month through the Black Sea grain corridor, while only up to 200,000 tons pass through Polish territory to European ports, the Ukrainian ministry said.
Between 500,000 and 700,000 tons of various agricultural products cross the Polish border every month, Ukrainian Agriculture Minister Mykola Solsky said this weekend, including wheat, vegetable oil, sugar, eggs, meat and other products.
Political problem
After the Russian invasion blocked a number of Black Sea ports, large quantities of Ukrainian grain – which is cheaper than grain produced in the European Union – were left behind in central European states due to logistical bottlenecks , driving prices and sales for local farmers pressed.
The issue has created a political problem for Poland’s ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party in an election year, as it has angered people in rural areas where support for the party is usually high.
A European Commission spokesman said the import bans on Ukrainian wheat and other agricultural products were “unacceptable”. After all, trade policy is something that only the Commission can decide on, and countries cannot do it independently.
Source: BNR
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