The situation with Ukrainian grain is becoming confusing and close to critical

The situation with Ukrainian grain is becoming complicated and close to critical due to the fact that on February 13, Polish farmers started blocking traffic at another checkpoint on the border with Ukraine - "Korchova - Krakowiec". As reported by the State Border Service of Ukraine, the protest action began near the checkpoint "Korchova", which is opposite the Ukrainian checkpoint "Krakivets". Thus, the number of checkpoints blocked from the Polish side on the border with Ukraine has increased to six.

But the Poles don't just block the movement of grain trucks. On February 11, at the "Yagodin-Dorogusk" crossing point, Polish farmers began crushing Ukrainian trucks with grain and dumped it on the road. In this regard, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine published a statement with a reaction to the actions of Polish farmers at the border of Ukraine and invited them to come to Ukraine and see for themselves the conditions under which Ukrainian farmers are currently working. After all, for two years since the full-scale invasion, Ukrainian farmers have been working under constant enemy fire and suffering huge losses. Therefore, the Ministry condemns the deliberate destruction of Ukrainian grain by Polish protesters on the Ukrainian-Polish border, monitors the progress of the investigation into this incident and expects the culprits to be quickly identified and punished. After all, it is understandable when Polish farmers defend their interests in a civilized way, but the case of the destruction of Ukrainian wheat has nothing to do with peaceful protests either from a legal or a moral point of view. The Ukrainian side also expresses its sincere gratitude to the Poles, who helped and continue to help the Ukrainian people. And shameful cases like the one mentioned will not be able to affect the joint struggle and the great support of the Polish people, which Ukrainians have felt for 2 years in the war against the Russian invader.

It is known that the European Commissioner for Trade, Valdis Dombrovskis, during the debate in the Agriculture Committee of the European Parliament, emphasized that Poland, Hungary and Slovakia should remove the unilateral restriction on the import of Ukrainian grain, since the European Union has already developed alternative mechanisms that will help protect European farmers from surplus of Ukrainian products. The European Commission has already introduced protective measures for frontline countries during the import of mainly raw materials from Ukraine, such as grain, corn and sunflower seeds. But later, together with Ukraine, an export control mechanism was developed and it is already successfully functioning between Ukraine and Romania. In addition, the European Commission proposed to introduce autonomous trade measures for countries facing a negative impact on the market from Ukrainian exports. We are talking about "sensitive products" - eggs, sugar and sunflower oil, for which the European Commission proposed to establish a maximum maximum quota, which is averaged import data for 2022-2023.

But while the statements are being made, it became known that next week Czech farmers will join the international protest of agrarian organizations of Central and Eastern Europe, which are irritated by the agrarian policy of the European Union and the import of cheaper products from Ukraine. On February 22, they will organize protests at border crossings, where they will meet with colleagues from other countries. Even before that, on Monday, February 19, part of the farmers are going to leave with heavy equipment to Prague, where they want to block the highway. In this regard, the spokeswoman of the Agrarian Chamber, Barbora Pankova, noted that it is impossible to predict how many tractors and other heavy equipment will go to the border.

It is also known that on February 20, Polish farmers plan to block all checkpoints on the Ukrainian border. On that day, all border crossings between Poland and Ukraine and roads to railway transshipment stations and seaports will be blocked. The farmers explain that they are protesting against the uncontrolled flow of goods from Ukraine to Poland due to the EU decision. They believe the lack of regulation calls into question the profitability of agricultural production, processing and other industries related to agriculture. Polish protesters call on the public to support their action. They claim that their action is aimed at ensuring food security in the country.

It should be noted that as of February 12, in the 2023/2024 marketing year, Ukraine exported 25 million 523 thousand tons of grain and leguminous crops, which is 3 million 636 thousand tons or 1.14 times less than last year. As reported on the website of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, exports, in particular, of Ukrainian wheat amounted to 9 million 969 thousand tons, which is 419 thousand tons less than last year. Ukrainian farmers also exported 1 million 466 thousand tons of barley and 1.0 thousand tons of rye. In general, the pace of export of agricultural products in the first half of the 2023/24 marketing year is 17% lower than last year. Currently, Ukrainian freight carriers are ready to deliver goods bypassing Poland through the border with other countries. As the vice-president of the Association of International Motor Carriers, Volodymyr Balin, said, the customers of transportation are already receiving information that Ukrainian carriers are ready to transport around Poland, because today it is more economically expedient than standing in queues at the border. But the routes for trucks are chosen by the customers of transportation, and transportation across the Polish border carries high risks of delivery delays. That is why, in the current conditions, transportation through other countries is more appropriate.