European Union preparing to impose duties on grain imports from Russia and Belarus - FT

MOSCOW. March 19 (Interfax) - The European Commission in the coming days could impose a duty of 95 euros per tonne on grain imports from Russia and Belarus, the Financial Times said, citing informed sources.

The duty would lead to a price rise of at least 50%, the sources said.

The European Commission could also implement additional duties on supplies of oilseeds and their processed products.

Russia supplied the EU with four million tonnes of these products in 2023, which was approximately 1% of total European demand, the Financial Times said.

Latvia previously had unilaterally refused to purchase a number of food products from Russia and Belarus, and Lithuania had implemented strict inspections of such cargo. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has warned that his country could follow Latvia in banning the import of grains and other crops from Russia, though he noted that the government "prefers a joint EU-wide decision on imposing sanctions on agricultural and food products from Russia and Belarus".