Ukraine needs to build grain reloading complexes near western borders - agrarian policy minister

MOSCOW. June 24 (Interfax) - Ukraine should step up exports of agricultural products through building special complexes near Polish borders to unload grain tracks and ship grain across the border using so-called "reloading points", Ukrainian media said citing Agrarian Policy and Food Minister Mykola Solsky.

Ukraine would substantially increase exports of agricultural crops once it avoids the need for trucks carrying grain to undergo customs clearance at border crossing points and then cross into and from Poland, Solsky said on Friday.

"I see three things on the western border now. First, companies owning elevators are developing them, bearing in mind an increase in the volume of reloading. Second, they actively use the infrastructure existing near the border (there are both a narrow and a wide track gauge there), buy reloading equipment, transport, and warehouses, and reload grain. Those are so-called reloading points," he said.

The third aspect is a proposal the ministry plans to make for Ukrainian businesses within the next few months to build grain transshipment complexes at several locations near Polish borders, he said.

The Ukrainian Agrarian Policy and Food Ministry is currently increasing grain exports from Ukraine through simplifying customs documents and developing grain corridors to Poland (Rava Ruska - Werchrata, Shehyni - Medyka, and Smilnytsia - Kroscienko), Solsky said. Possible options also include joint customs and border control with the neighboring EU countries and the construction of elevators at certain border points.

As reported earlier, Polish Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Henryk Kowalczyk said in June that Poland could absorb no more than 1.5 million tonnes of agricultural crops from Ukraine a month for their further transportation to third countries. Before February 24, Ukraine exported more than 5 million tonnes of crops a month.

United States President Joe Biden proposed earlier that grain storage facilities be built in Poland near Ukrainian borders to facilitate exports of Ukrainian grain to Europe by rail.