Romania expects European Commission to ban Ukrainian grain exports until June 5

MOSCOW. April 27 (Interfax) - The European Commission will ban the exports of Ukrainian oilseeds and grain to Romania until June 5, 2023, Romanian Agriculture Minister Petre Deae said.

"Romania will be protected by a decision of the European Commission and will get compensation for the farmers," the Ukrainian media quoted Deae's statement following meetings in Brussels and Luxembourg, which was aired by Sky News.

Hungary, Poland and Slovakia have suspended imports of Ukrainian grain and other agrarian goods. They said they did so to protect local farmers.

Ukraine's access to Black Sea ports was first blocked and then restricted amid the crisis, so, it had to find alternative routes to deliver grain and other goods via neighbors, the media said.

As a result, loads of oilseeds and grain were brought to central and east European countries. These goods are cheaper than those made in the European Union and are exempt from customs duties.

Local farmers started to complain about collapsing prices and demand for their produce. The European Commission made concessions to countries whose farmers suffered from surpluses of agricultural goods and agreed to ban their imports of Ukrainian sunflower oil while continuing its transit. It also allotted 100 million euros for compensations to farmers.