Strengthening of its own agriculture: Poland stops imports of grain from Ukraine

Strengthening of own agriculture
Poland stops imports of grain from Ukraine

Farmers in many EU countries feel threatened by the duty-free import of large quantities of Ukrainian grain made possible by the EU. In Poland, the consequences of the peasant protests are now being drawn.

Poland no longer wants to import grain or other foods from Ukraine. This was decided by the government to protect Polish agriculture, announced the chairman of the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, at the party conference.

Central European countries have large stocks of Ukrainian grain, which is cheaper than that produced in the European Union. Due to logistical problems, it was not transported further. This affects prices and sales opportunities for local farmers. This caused resentment in Poland, and farmers called for the introduction of tariffs. There were peasant protests. However, the European Union extended duty-free imports of Ukrainian grain until June 2024. This poses a problem for the PiS, especially since parliamentary elections are due this year.

“We are and will remain friends and allies of Ukraine,” Kaczynski said. Poland will continue to support Ukraine. “But it is the duty of every state, every authority, at least a good authority, to protect the interests of its citizens.” Poland is ready to start talks with Ukraine to settle the grain issue. The Ukrainian side has already been informed about the decisions of the Polish government.

This is not the first setback for Ukrainian agriculture. Slovakia recently banned the sale of Ukrainian wheat as food and animal feed until further notice after pesticides were found in it. Agriculture Minister Samuel Vlcan explained in Bratislava that, in addition to the EU authorities responsible for food safety, he had also personally informed the Ukrainian ambassador in Slovakia and asked for understanding. Slovakia is also one of the EU countries whose farmers feel threatened by the duty-free import of large quantities of Ukrainian grain made possible by the EU.

source site-32