Hungary insists on prolonging Ukrainian agricultural import ban until end of 2023, but only for sunflower seed and maize

MOSCOW. June 28 (Interfax) - The European Commission should extend the ban on the import of Ukrainian grain to five European Union countries until the end of 2023, and the ban may remain in effect only for two crops - sunflower seed and maize, Hungarian Agriculture Minister Istvan Nagy said on Luxembourg on Tuesday after a meeting of the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council.

Before the start of the EU agriculture ministers' meeting, the agriculture ministers of the five countries - Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary - agreed that cooperation and advocating a common stance are still very important in relations with Brussels, Ukrainian media said, citing the Hungarian Agriculture Ministry's statement.

"The ban on the import [of Ukrainian grain] only makes sense from an economic standpoint if it is maintained at least until the harvesting and storage of the new crop. In the case of wheat and rapeseed, this can be done by September 15, but not in the case of maize and sunflower. The logical step is therefore to extend the EU import ban until December 31, at least for these two products," the ministry's press service quoted Nagy as saying.

Nagy also said that he had initiated negotiations with his French and German counterparts to discuss disruptions on the market caused by Ukrainian grain that pose problems in everyday life. "The purpose of these talks is to find common European solutions," he said.

The EU needs to prepare for the presence of Ukrainian agricultural products on the European market in the long term, which is why "it is necessary to find comprehensive, long-term solutions," the Hungarian minister said.

Ukrainian agricultural products should be delivered to the markets of third world countries where they were traditionally present, Nagy said. By securing grain supplies to these regions, a food crisis, and consequently a migration crisis can be prevented, he added.

Further steps by Brussels ought to focus on ensuring the functioning of the Solidarity Lanes, which provide transpiration by land according to its original purpose, the minister said.

In addition, the European Commission should introduce a progressive transit transport fee subsidy, Nagy said.

"It is necessary to achieve that we can transport Ukrainian agricultural products as far as possible from the border - not only to the internal markets of the EU, but also to the ports of Europe, so that they can also reach countries in need," the minister said.

The agreement that enables the delivery of grain under the Black Sea Grain Initiative expires on July 18, Nagy said, asking ministers of the five EU countries give Hungary a mandate to strengthen the initiative, which could help the Black Sea ports continue to operate.

Europe should open new seaports in order to be able to transport Ukrainian grain in the largest amount possible via traditional sea routes, Nagy said.

"Recently, only a small part of Ukrainian agricultural products has been transported by sea, the rest comes to Europe through us, the five countries. This also shows how much the domestic markets change as a result of the unrestricted flow of Ukrainian agricultural products into Europe," he said.