Talks with the Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine
05.05.2023
Today, Mr. Robert Telus, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, met online with Mr. Mykola Solskiy, Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine. Minister Robert Telus was accompanied, among others, by Mr. Rafał Romanowski, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr. Andrzej Chodkowski, Main Inspector of Plant Health and Seed Inspection, Mr. Paweł Niemczuk, Chief Veterinary Officer, and Mr. Bartosz Zbaraszczuk, Secretary of State and Head of the National Revenue Administration. The meeting was devoted to the issue of the transit of cereals from Ukraine through Poland’s territory.
Transport of Ukrainian agricultural products
Minister Robert Telus presented the reasons why Poland had recently imposed restrictions on the imports of Ukrainian agri-food products. He explained that the solidarity lanes serving for the transit transport of Ukrainian products had not operated properly to date. As a result, part of products from Ukraine had remained on the Polish market. The head of the Polish Ministry of Agriculture stressed that the transit of Ukrainian agricultural products had to be controlled and strictly monitored in order to ensure food safety and consumer protection.
Organisation of the transit
Minister Mykola Solskiy expressed his understanding of the actions taken by Poland. At the same time, in light of the temporary ban imposed by the European Commission on 2 May 2023 on the imports of four agricultural products: wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seed, from Ukraine to Poland and other EU Member States bordering on Ukraine or those situated close to Ukraine, he addressed the issue of the organisation of the transit of these products through Poland’s territory.
Poland provided all the needed explanations. It also expressed its hopes for further fruitful cooperation with the partners from Ukraine.
Trade in agri-food products with Ukraine
Ukraine is Poland’s important partner in trade in agri-food products. In 2022, its exports to the Ukrainian market grew by 16% (from EUR 811.5 million to EUR 945.3 million). The exports mainly included: cheeses and curds, animal feed products and coffee.
