The ban on the export of wheat, barley, rapeseed and sunflower seeds from Ukraine to Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria, imposed on May 2 for the period until June 5, will be extended until September 15, the Polish Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Robert Telusz said.
“It (the relevant regulation) has not yet been approved or published, but we have information that the European Commission has extended the ban on imports of wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower from Ukraine until mid-September 2023,” the minister was quoted by the press service of the Polish agency on Monday evening.
According to Telusz, if the information about the ban on imports is confirmed, as of tomorrow, Poland will not be able to receive grain on contracts concluded before May 2, 2023.
Polish minister also said that negotiations with the so-called Eastern European border countries and the European Commission will continue. They will discuss the prospect of further extending the ban on the import of Ukrainian grain to these countries after September 15, 2023.
The Polish Agriculture Ministry said that the ban can be made more flexible taking into account the specifics of individual countries.
Speaking about grain exports, Telusz said 1.054 million tons of grain were exported from Poland in March, 1.152 million tons in April and the same amount was exported in May.
“That brings the total to more than 3 million tons of grains exported from Poland. At the same time, imports are falling. In February it was 270 thousand tons, in March 260 thousand tons, and in April only 49 thousand tons,” summarized the minister.
As reported, on Monday morning Telush reported receiving from the EU a new draft regulation to extend the ban on imports of four types of grains and oilseeds from Ukraine to five countries until September 15, 2023 and expressed hope that it will be introduced as early as June 6.
The European Commission’s speaker for agriculture and trade, Miriam Garcia Ferrer, clarified at a briefing at noon that no decision has been made at this stage, discussions are ongoing.
The EU ban on imports of wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower from Ukraine came into force on May 2 and replaced unilateral import bans imposed by countries bordering Ukraine, particularly Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovakia, in violation of the Association Agreement and EU internal regulations as of April 28.
As noted by the EU, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia undertook to cancel unilateral measures on these and all other goods originating from Ukraine and to allow free transit.
