Poland to ask EU Commission to reinstate tax on Ukrainian agricultural products

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland Robert Telus said this during a briefing after a meeting with representatives of farmers' associations from Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria and Slovakia on the export of agricultural products from Ukraine in Rakolupy, near the border with Ukraine, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"After this meeting, I will address my colleagues from these countries [the Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia ] to call together on the EU to review the issue of duties very decisively in June," Telus said.

He emphasized that it is very important to do it together in such a way that the distribution of agricultural products from Ukraine is evenly distributed throughout Europe.

According to the Polish ministry, Telus will address the agriculture ministers from the four countries on Wednesday and wants the meeting to take place as soon as possible, for example, in a video format.

The minister noted that if other ministers do not want to support his initiative for various reasons, he will address the EU himself "in the coming days."

He said that a meeting of the crisis headquarters in Warsaw will be held on Tuesday to discuss the situation with Ukrainian grain. The most important task, he said, is to get the Polish grain, which is to be exported, out of the country as soon as possible.

Speaking about the transit of grain from Ukraine through Poland to third countries, the Polish minister noted that so far there is a verbal agreement with Kyiv on inspection and control.

"I hope that an agreement will be signed with the Ukrainian side on Friday. We will monitor the situation together, but it is Ukraine that will control and grant grain export licenses to companies that will export grain only in transit," Telus said.

Tomasz Obszanski, head of the trade union of individual farmers "Solidarity", said that during the meeting with the minister, they discussed specific decisions that will be submitted to the ministry. According to Obszanski, a tax on Ukrainian agricultural products should be introduced in order to stabilize the markets for grain or soft fruits. 

In turn, the leader of the Agrounia organization, Michal Kolodziejczak, said that starting Wednesday, Polish farmers will block the railway checkpoint in Hrubieszow on the border with Ukraine, through which Ukrainian grain enters Poland.

As reported, Polish farmers have been holding massive protests over the past few months, in particular, against the transportation of Ukrainian agricultural products through Poland to third countries. They emphasized that a significant portion of Ukrainian grain is not transported in transit further, but settles in Poland, thereby reducing the purchase prices in Poland for grain from Polish farmers. Under pressure from farmers, the Polish government appealed to the European Commission to cancel zero duties on Ukrainian agricultural products. However, the European Commission did not fulfil the main demand of Polish farmers to impose duties on Ukrainian agricultural goods and extended the agreement on duty-free imports of goods from Ukraine for another year, until June 5, 2024.

On Wednesday, April 5, the former Polish Minister of Agriculture, Henryk Kowalczyk, resigned amid the crisis with Ukrainian grain. On Thursday, he was replaced by Robert Telus, who on the same day convened an interagency crisis headquarters to address the problem of the influx of Ukrainian grain into the Polish market.

During his official visit to Poland on April 5, President Zelensky discussed the situation with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. Afterwards, during a media briefing, he said that this problem would be resolved in the near future.

During a meeting on April 7 at the border with Polish Minister Telus, Ukrainian Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Mykola Solskyi said that Ukraine would suspend exports of wheat, corn, rapeseed, and sunflower to Poland until the new season. At the same time, the Polish minister said that he would probably meet with the Ukrainian minister again in a week, on April 14, to sign an agreement to resolve the problem with Ukrainian grain.