Ukraine stops grain exports to Poland
Ukraine has decided to temporarily stop the export of grain to Poland, the ministers of both countries, Mykola Solskyi and Robert Telus, announced on Friday during a meeting at the Yahodyn-Dorohusk checkpoint.
"The Ukrainian side will refrain from exporting until the new season. Before the new season, before the summer, depending on how the situation pans out in our countries and in the world, we will meet again to discuss further joint activities," Solskyi is quoted as saying by Polsat.
The parties are due to hold another meeting next week to sign the relevant documents.
The Polish minister emphasized that restricting the transit of Ukrainian grain through Poland altogether is off the table.
"The Ukrainian side understands our problems and has agreed to our proposal to seriously review the issue of grain imports to Poland, in particular wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower," he said.
Both sides agreed to strengthen control to ensure that the grain does not end up in Poland.
In the first months of 2023, farmers' protests began in Poland. They believe that Ukrainian grain has collapsed domestic prices in Poland, and local producers are forced to work at a loss. The Polish authorities admit that there were problems with the transit of Ukrainian grain to the ports, and a large part — mainly corn — settled in Poland, which puts pressure on prices.
In the spring of 2023, similar protests began in Romania.
At the beginning of March, Ukraine and Poland agreed to change the rules of grain transit after protests by Polish farmers, but they were not satisfied with this.
At the end of March, the Polish government and farmers agreed on 11 measures to prevent a surplus of Ukrainian grain, but at the beginning of April, Minister of Agriculture Henryk Kowalczyk was forced to resign.
