Greece refused to restrict grain imports from Ukraine

Konstantinos Baginetas, secretary general of the Greek Ministry of Agriculture, said bans on the import of Ukrainian grain and other food unilaterally imposed by the war-torn country’s neighbors were not a viable solution.

Last June, the European Commission agreed to create so-called “corridors of solidarity” to allow Ukraine, a major global producer and exporter, to continue exporting grain, the publication reports. Euractiv. Citing price increases, Ukraine’s neighbors Romania, Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia were introduced earlier this year, although Poland and Romania have since raised their prices.

“Greece shares a disproportionate burden on neighboring member states in Ukraine and understands the reaction of their farmers,” Baginetas told the ministers of agriculture and fisheries EU on Wednesday. But “unilateral national measures are not a viable solution” and “should be avoided,” he added, referring to the unilateral bans introduced in recent weeks.

Greece supports the “further use of corridors of solidarity” as they are especially important in the current circumstances, the Greek official added. He added that “the commission’s current proposals for immediate assistance to neighboring member states are a step in the right direction,” noting that there is a need to ensure global food supplies and support for Ukraine’s economy, which is mainly based on agricultural exports.

Ukrainian grain crops are an important subject of Greek imports and account for about 10% of the total trade between the two countries. In 2020, Greece purchased from Ukraine 117 thousand tons grain crops. Türkiye has become the largest buyer of Ukrainian grain. At the same time, Greek shipowners became the main carriers of Ukrainian grain.

As previously reported, April 15 Poland banned the import of grain from Ukraine. Polish farmers have been protesting for several months against the transportation of Ukrainian agricultural products through Poland to third countries. They claimed that a significant part of Ukrainian grain does not transit further, but settles in Polandcreating an imbalance in Polish markets and lowering prices for Polish farmers’ products.

Later, a temporary ban on the import of grains and oilseeds, as well as some other agricultural products from Ukraine, was announced Hungary and Slovakia. On April 19, Bulgaria joined them, allowing only transit.

Miriam Garcia Ferrer, European Commission spokesperson for agriculture and trade, said the EU is opposed to such a ban. On April 18, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy reported that Ukraine and Poland agreed to resume the transit of Ukrainian grain. On April 19, Hungary announced that it had banned the import of 25 types of agricultural products from Ukraine into the country, but allowed their transit under special conditions. It was also reported that Romania would not restrict the transit of Ukrainian grain through ports.

Source link