Poland threatens to keep Ukrainian grain ban after embargo date expires

Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said he has requested that the European Commission extend the ban. Poland’s government has called on the European Union to extend the embargo on imports of Ukrainian grain beyond an end-of-week deadline to protect Polish farmers. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Tuesday he has requested that the European Commission, the EU’s executive, extend the ban on the entry of Ukraine corn, wheat, sunflower and rapeseed or else “we will do it ourselves because we cannot allow for a deregulation of the market.” Speaking to farmers in Kosow Lacki, in Poland’s farming east region, Morawiecki said that the October 15 parliamentary elections will be key for the future of Poland’s agriculture. Ukraine’s neighbours, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Romania, agreed with the European Union to impose an embargo on grain produced from Kyiv from April until September 15 to prevent a knock-on effect on its farmers. Poland has been supporting neighbouring Ukraine with military and humanitarian assistance as it fights Russia’s invasion, but following farmer protests, Warsaw has been adamant in banning imports of Ukrainian agriculture products.