European support measures for Polish farmers – suffering from imported Ukrainian food – come too late. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said today, Reuters reports. Today, the Polish parliament approved a 10 billion Polish zloty ($2.4 billion) support package for the Polish agricultural sector.
Central European countries are doing their best to reach an agreement with Brussels on European measures to support the agricultural sector after some member states unilaterally banned the import of Ukrainian food products. “What the EU offers us with a delay comes too late,” Morawiecki said. “It’s just a drop in the ocean.”
Poland is one of the few European countries considered a transit route for Ukrainian grain, due to the Russian blockade of Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has created bottlenecks, causing Ukrainian grain to hoard in neighboring countries. As a result, local farmers suddenly had to compete with an influx of cheap Ukrainian imports.
100 million euros
The European Commission has therefore offered a €100 million support package for European farmers, an amount on top of the previously promised support of €56 million. Furthermore, the European Commission wants to take “emergency preventive measures” for maize, sunflower seeds and rapeseed, even though central European countries consider that list too small. They also want to see honey and certain types of meat on that list.
The Polish government today passed a law that allows farmers to recover a larger share of the excise duty on fuel, but at the same time asks the European Commission for even more financial leeway. Furthermore, the Polish government wants to introduce a subsidy for farmers, guaranteeing them 1,400 zlotys per ton of grain.
Source: BNR
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