Since the start of the war, Ukraine, which is one of the world’s largest grain exporters, has been unable to use its usual trade routes. She then headed for Poland. But with the massive arrival of these commodities on the Polish market, prices have fallen and Polish farmers are angry.
With our correspondent in Warsaw, Martin Chabal
Since the beginning of the year, farmers have regularly gathered at the border with Ukraine, with yellow vests and on roundabouts, to block the roads with their tractors. They prevent the trucks carrying these Ukrainian cereals from passing. Because today a Polish cereal producer sells his products cheaper than last year. The market is flooded with these imports which are normally destined for export to countries in North Africa and the Middle East.
But the government is struggling to manage exports and Ukrainian cereals are found on the Polish market. The government first told them that it was the fault of the European Union, that it was the one that abolished customs duties last year. Classic argument for the nationalist party in power. But farmers feel betrayed by the government. Because it was he who accepted the massive grain imports. And so it is because of him that Ukrainian cereals flood the Polish market.
Subsidies and traceability
Faced with the challenge, the government ended up bringing together the unions to settle the crisis. After heated debates, the government has promised, among other things, to subsidize Polish farmers, but also to improve the traceability of Ukrainian cereals entering the territory.
Last week, the European Union already released funds (53 billion euros) from the CAP to help Polish, Bulgarian and Romanian farmers who find themselves in this difficult situation.
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