Polish minister promises indefinite embargo on grain from Ukraine

Polish Minister of Development and Technology Waldemar Buda stated this in an interview with PAP on Friday, Ukrinform reports.

Buda said that if the EC does not extend the embargo by midnight, he will sign a decree extending the current embargo.

When asked whether it would be in effect until the end of this year, the minister replied that it would be indefinite.

Buda emphasized that the Polish government is sending a clear message to Polish farmers: no matter what decision the EC makes, the embargo will remain in place, and Ukrainian grain will not be supplied to Poland.

The minister expressed the opinion that the grain issue should not negatively affect Polish-Ukrainian relations.

Poland should accept this decision and continue to work, Buda emphasized.

As Ukrinform reported, the Polish Council of Ministers adopted a resolution on Tuesday warning the EC that it would unilaterally extend the embargo on Ukrainian grain after September 15 unless Brussels makes a decision. The embargo will remain in effect until relations in the agricultural sector between Poland and Ukraine are resolved.

In May 2023, the EC banned imports of wheat, corn, rapeseed, and sunflower from Ukraine to Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and Romania at the insistence of these countries. On June 5, the ban was extended until September 15, 2023. These countries want to extend the import ban until the end of 2023 and expand it to some other products.

The Ukrainian authorities insist that if the EC extends the ban on imports of Ukrainian grain after September 15, Ukraine may consider mirror measures.

The EC is expected to make a final decision on this issue on September 15.

Photo: PAP