Poland to test quality of Ukraine grain amid farmer protests
WARSAW, Poland –
Poland’s new agriculture minister vowed Wednesday to introduce detailed quality control on the large influx of grain from Ukraine transiting by way of the nation, and to make sure its environment friendly transport overseas. The transfer follows protests by offended Polish farmers, who say they face chapter due to a glut of low cost Ukrainian grain.
Minister Robert Telus confronted sharp criticism from lawmakers in parliament, who alleged that buying and selling corporations linked to the federal government have been making large income from promoting low cost, untested Ukrainian produce in Poland, as a substitute of facilitating its switch to grain-hungry Africa.
Telus changed the earlier agriculture minister, Henryk Kowalczyk, who resigned final week simply hours earlier than an official go to by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. During the go to, the Polish and Ukrainian leaders mentioned that they had discovered a speedy decision to the “grain problem” however offered no particulars.
Amid the Russian invasion that has blocked conventional export sea passages, the European Union lifted duties on Ukrainian grain to facilitate its transport to Africa and the Middle East. However, it has flooded markets in Poland, Romania and different EU international locations that have been solely speculated to be transit routes.
Polish farmer teams staged protests Wednesday at border crossings with Ukraine, however police prevented them from blocking the rail tracks. Dozens of cargo wagons, every containing some 70 tons of grain, enter from Ukraine every day, additional rising farmers’ anxiousness for the longer term and for his or her crops this 12 months.
Protesters mentioned the grain transit ought to be prioritized in the identical means because the closely guarded transshipment of arms to Ukraine, to stop the grain from flooding the Polish market.
Instead, they argued, government-linked corporations have been allowed to import it as low cost, low-quality grain, after which promote it to bread and pasta crops as high-quality Polish produce.
Tomasz Obszanski, of the farmers’ Solidarity union mentioned some three million tons of grain meant for Africa “were instead received by traders, once they crossed the border into Poland. Many companies have used this situation to make millions.”
The chief of the protesting farmers and head of the AgroUnia group, Michal Kolodziejczak, estimated farmers’ losses at as much as 10 billion zlotys (US$2.3 billion).
“A number of companies linked to the (governing) Law and Justice (party) made huge gains, but ordinary people suffered losses. … This is absurd,” Kolodziejczak mentioned on Radio RMF FM from Hrubieszow, the location of the protest.
He referred to as on the federal government to urgently press the EU to reintroduce customs dues on Ukrainian grain, corn, poultry, eggs and different farm produce.
Kolodziejczak additionally urged parliament to research whether or not the agriculture ministry and authorities authorities have been chargeable for having ignored an issue farmers had been warning of since final summer season.
Prosecutors within the area of jap Poland bordering Ukraine are investigating allegations that dozens of tons of Ukrainian grain in transit have been offered to Polish meals crops.
Telus and Ukraine’s agrarian coverage minister, Mykola Solskyi, mentioned that they had suspended Ukrainian grain imports to Poland for home consumption and would take steps to make sure it solely transited to 3rd international locations.
Kolodziejczak mentioned trains have been nonetheless unloading in Poland on Wednesday.
