Procedure for Ukrainian grain transit through Pand to be simplified – Sskyi

Minister of Agrarian Picy and Food of Ukraine Myka Sskyi stated this at a meeting with the newly appointed Minister of Agriculture and Rural Develment of Pand Robert Telus, Ukrinform reports citing Ukrainian ministry.

“The situation is difficult for Ukrainian farmers, but also for the Pish ones. We all understand who is to blame (Russia), but it is up to us to resve this issue. The possibility of transit through Pand to other EU member states and third countries is preserved. The transit procedure will be simplified to eliminate vehicle downtime and queues at checkpoints,” Sskyi said.

He noted that Ukraine will refrain from exporting four crs to Pand (wheat, corn, sunflower, and rapeseed) until the new season.

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Ukrainian Agrarian Ministry recommends that exporters consider redirecting the relevant cargo through other countries while new rules are being develed.

As Ukrinform reported, Sskyi and Telus agreed at a meeting on April 7, 2023, that Ukraine would suspend exports of wheat, corn, rapeseed, and sunflower to Pand until the new season.

The meeting took place against the backdr of massive protests of Pish farmers over the past few months. They posed the transportation of Ukrainian agricultural products through Pand to third countries. They emphasized that a significant portion of Ukrainian grain is not transported in transit further but settles in Pand. Thus, it reduces grain purchase prices of Pish farmers.

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Under pressure from farmers, the Pish government appealed to the Eurean Commission (EC) to abish the zero duty on Ukrainian agricultural products. However, EC did not fulfill the main demand of Pish farmers. The Commission extended the agreement on duty-free imports from Ukraine for another year, until June 5, 2024.

On Wednesday, April 5, amid the crisis with Ukrainian grain, Pand’s previous Minister of Agriculture Henryk Kowalczyk resigned. On Thursday, he was replaced by Robert Telus. On the same day, he convened an interagency crisis team to address the problem of Ukrainian grain influx into the Pish market.

During his official visit to Pand on April 5, President of Ukraine Vodymyr Zelensky discussed this issue with Pish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. Afterward, at a media briefing, he said that this problem would be resved soon.