Polish Agriculture Ministry closes public access to list of companies importing technical grain from Ukraine

MOSCOW. April 10 (Interfax) - Polish Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Czesław Siekierski has closed public access to the list of companies importing technical grain from Ukraine on the ministry's website, Ukrainian media said, citing the website.

The ministry noted that the list of companies importing grain from Ukraine, which the public viewed as a list of importers of the so-called technical grain, was available on its website for several months. Public access to the list had numerous negative consequences for many companies.

"I cannot reverse either time or the decision of my predecessor, Minister Anna Gembicka, who published the list but failed to notice its possible negative implications," Siekierski said.

The ministry received numerous complaints, demands of corrections, and legal action statements since the moment the list was published, he said.

"This made me confident that the decision to publish the list was erroneous and irresponsible. Hence, I have decided to remove the list from the ministry website," Siekierski said.

He apologized to all companies that incurred damage or experienced problems as a result of that decision.

As reported, the ministry published a 62-page list of companies that imported Ukrainian grain in 2022-2023 on its website in November 2023.

According to Deputy Agriculture Minister Michal Kolodziejczak, the list was based on information from various services and published by the previous government representing the interests of the Law and Justice Party (PiS). "It is incorrect and inaccurate," he said, adding that information about the imports was "shocking," as, in his words, Ukraine earned 6 billion zlotys.

"Some 330,000 tonnes of technical grain, rapeseed and corn brought to the Polish market were most likely consumed. The cheapest wheat imported from Ukraine last year cost 51 zlotys per tonne, which is 20 times less than the profitability threshold for cultivation in Poland," Kolodziejczak said.

Polish grain market actors criticized the Polish Agriculture Ministry's decision to publish the list of importers.