Poland and Ukraine have reached an agreement on the transit of Ukrainian grain, Polish Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Robert Telus announced on Tuesday, after Warsaw banned imports in response to protests by Polish farmers.
We managed to develop mechanisms based on which not a single ton of (Ukrainian) grain will remain in Poland. The goods will pass through Poland
– said the Polish minister after his meeting with Ukrainian officials in Warsaw, according to MTI.
Yuliya Szviridenko, the first deputy of the Prime Minister of Ukraine, stated at the joint press conference that she trusts that the Ukrainian export companies will respect the provisions of the grain transit agreement.
Brussels is under increasing pressure to come up with an EU-wide solution after Warsaw and Budapest announced bans on certain imports from Ukraine over the weekend, and other eastern European countries have signaled they are considering restrictions. The European Commission has indicated that it considers the decision unacceptable, writes a Reuters.
According to farmers, cheap imports from Ukraine have reduced prices and reduced their sales. Ukrainian grain did not reach the target markets – such as Africa and the Middle East – because the Russian invasion made it difficult to export through the Black Sea.
In Poland, the issue is an election-year problem for the ruling nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party, whose support relies largely on rural voters.
Ukraine has said it prioritizes reopening transit through Poland. According to the agreement, grain exports can resume on Friday using the new mechanisms.
Hungary has not yet announced an agreement, so together with Slovakia, it is currently banning the import of Ukrainian grain.
Cover Photo: A farmer and member of the AgroUnia trade union inspects a silo storing unsold wheat grains at a farm in Sedziejowo, Poland, Monday, April 17, 2023. Source: Bartek Sadowski/Bloomberg via Getty Images.
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