Polish trade inspectorate rejects 21,988 tonnes of Ukrainian wheat

MOSCOW. Dec 24 (Interfax) - The Polish Agricultural and Food Products Quality Inspectorate (IJHARS) in Rzeszow has banned the circulation of 21,998 tonnes of durum wheat imported from Ukraine to the Polish market.

This decision, which took effect immediately, was made due to the low protein content in this batch of durum wheat, Ukrainian media outlets cited IJHARS as saying in a statement on social media.

IJHARS inspectors in Rzeszow also imposed a ban on the import of eight 200-tonne batches of rice from Myanmar, citing the presence of dead pests in them.

As reported, IJHARS tightened control over agricultural imports to Poland from March 2024. IJHARS Chief Inspector Przemysław Rzodkiewiczsaid said in March that 1.4% of all Ukrainian imports inspected by the commission at the border were rejected in 2023.

Over the year, Poland also imposed restrictions on imports of other agricultural products from Ukraine, including 22.59 tonnes of flax seeds, 46 tonnes of brewing barley, 15.61 tonnes of Ukrainian ice cream, 10.55 tonnes of sponge cakes, 57.66 tonnes of tomato paste, 5.34 tonnes of round cracknels out of Ukraine's total cracknel imports of 10.55 tonnes, as well as a ban on April 9 for three batches of round cracknels weighing a total of 5.34 tonnes.

In early April 2024, the Polish trade inspectorate imposed the largest-even fine of PLN 1.5 million (around $380,000) on a company for importing 11,500 tonnes of industrial rapeseed and feed wheat from Ukraine to the Polish market.