Romania, the only neighbouring country that still allows grain imports from Ukraine. Agricultural transit to the EU increasingly difficult / Minister Daea announces the introduction of customs duties on imported goods

Poland, Hungary and Slovakia have announced in the last three days that they are banning imports of grain and oilseed products from Ukraine after local farmers complained that cheap products were distorting the domestic market. Bulgaria’s government has also announced it is considering a similar measure.

In addition to grain imports, Poland has also banned the transit of Ukrainian grain, while Hungary would still allow it through the country, according to the Kyiv Independent. At this stage it is unclear whether Slovakia will also ban the transit of Ukrainian grain, or only imports destined for its own domestic market.

Under these circumstances, the only country neighboring Ukraine that still allows imports is Romania. Romanian farmers have also complained about similar problems, but the European Commission has only approved aid of around €10 million, well below the €200 million requested by farmers.

Romania is not opposed to the transit of grain from Ukraine, but wants to introduce customs duties on imported grain and food products from Ukraine. It is a measure that will protect Romanian producers, reports TVR. Agriculture Minister Petre Daea said Romania’s position is very clear: „We allow all quantities of agri-food products to go where they are needed and stop the import of grain into Romania so that we can allow our farmers to empty their stores, to prepare them for the new harvest”.

Romania has been the main transit channel for Ukrainian grain over the past year, President Klaus Iohannis said last week.

„We have facilitated their grain transit. More than half of what Ukraine exported went through Romania, road, rail, port, so a huge amount, more than 14 million tons of grain we exported through Romania and still do. We don’t tax them, we don’t charge them for that,” President Iohannis said.

Romania has facilitated grain exports from Ukraine on road and rail infrastructure, as well as on the Danube and the Black Sea. To facilitate operations, the Romanian government has invested tens of millions of euros in modernizing ports and railways.

Background. Slovakia will temporarily suspend imports of grain and other selected products from Ukraine, the government in Bratislava said on Monday, Reuters and TASR report, cited by Agerpres. An inter-ministerial working group will meet later in the day for this purpose.

Slovakia joins Poland and Hungary, which banned the import of grain from Ukraine over the weekend.

The European Commission has described these unilateral trade measures as unacceptable.

‘Additional, stricter measures to regulate imports of goods from Ukraine must be introduced at government level,’ the ministry stressed, quoted by Agerpres.