Poland bans import of grain from Ukraine
Wesprzyj naszą pracę na Go Fund Me. Dziękujemy!The Polish government has placed an embargo on the import of several agricultural products from Ukraine, including wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower, after the European Union lifted its ban, the development and technology minister has said.
Poland’s Development and Technology Minister Waldemar Buda.PAP/Jakub Kaczmarczyk
Waldemar Buda announced the move via social media on Friday night, Polish state PAP news agency reported.
The development and technology minister wrote on the X social platform: “Due to the European Commission’s flawed decision not to prolong the embargo on grain from Ukraine, on the orders of Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and the whole Council of Ministers, I have signed a national decree that maintains the embargo.”
Buda added: “The decree is valid indefinitely and will come into force after publication at midnight on September 16, 2023.”
The development and technology minister stressed the decree was designed to protect the interests of Polish farmers.
Earlier on Friday, the EU’s executive Commission announced that it would not prolong the bloc’s ban on the import of wheat, corn, rapeseed, sunflower and sunflower oil from Ukraine to Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia.
Brussels said it was letting the restrictive measures expire because “the market distortions in the five member states bordering Ukraine have disappeared” since the embargo was imposed on May 2, the PAP news agency reported.
Poland’s prime minister said afterwards: “We’ll extend the ban on the import of Ukrainian grain…. We’ll do it because it is in the interests of Polish farmers.”
Poland’s embargo on grain from Ukraine
Friday’s decree bans the import of Ukrainian wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower, as well as related products, including rapeseed meal, until further notice, the PAP news agency reported.
Meanwhile, the transit of these products through Poland to other countries, or to Poland’s sea ports, remains allowed, according to officials.
The Polish government said that “given the current market situation, the embargo is justified and is designed to help maintain Poland’s food security and public security.”
An influx of Ukrainian grain would “cause another crash on the Polish grain market,” and so the ban will “help prevent strikes and social unrest,” officials added.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, launching the largest military campaign in Europe since World War II.
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