Poland stops imports of grain, other food from Ukraine

This is reported by the RMF24.

“Today, the government has adopted a resolution banning the import of grain into Poland, as well as dozens of other types of food products, I am not able to list them all. They are provided for in the annex to this resolution – from declared grain to honey products, a lot of products,” Jarosław Kaczyński, head of the ruling conservative Law and Justice party in Poland, said. 

According to him, this decision was made taking into account “the asymmetry between Polish and Ukrainian agriculture, which is a consequence of the quality of the land, significantly lower wages in Ukraine, and, finally, the fact that international companies with extensive infrastructure operate in Ukraine, mainly on large areas.”

The official noted that the crisis that may arise as a result of Ukrainian grain imports will affect all Poles. He emphasized the Polish government's obligation to protect the interests of its citizens in the first place and added that this decision was not only in Poland's interest.

“It is also in the interests of Ukraine, because it is not in the interests of our friends that Poland plunges into crisis and that people come to power here who will change this policy of radical support for Ukraine,” Kaczyński said.

The government added that such changes do not affect friendship with Ukraine and support for it in the aggressive war with Russia.

Poland has informed the Ukrainian side of the decisions taken and is ready to start negotiations on the settlement of this issue in the form of an intergovernmental agreement at any time, possibly in the coming days. Kaczyński added that we are talking about fundamental things. There will be a general purchase of grain imported from Ukraine and stored in Polish elevators and warehouses.

In response, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine noted that the decisions of the Polish side contradicted the agreements.

“The Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine regrets the decision of its Polish counterpats to temporarily restrict exports of agricultural goods from Ukraine to/from and through the territory of Poland (including transit),” the statement said.

• On February 2, Polish farmers blocked checkpoints on the border with Ukraine. They were outraged that the uncontrolled inflow of Ukrainian grain to Poland had caused prices for their products to plummet. Local farmers argue that Ukrainian grain should have been transported through Poland only to ports, but it ended up on the Polish market. 

• On February 16 and 17, Polish farmers resumed protests on the border with Ukraine.

• On April 7, Ukraine agreed to stop exporting grain to Poland.