Poland asks EC to add frozen raspberries, strawberries from Ukraine to list of sanctioned agricultural goods
MOSCOW. July 17 (Interfax) - Poland has asked the European Commission to add frozen raspberries and strawberries to the list of Ukrainian agricultural products whose imports to the European Union is restricted, Ukrainian media reported, citing the press service for the Polish Agriculture Ministry.
The import of Ukrainian strawberries and frozen raspberries to Poland, which grew in 2022 and in early 2023, seriously complicated the situation for Polish producers and resulted in serious market disruptions, the press service said.
"There is no such problem in other countries of our coalition [Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia]. Therefore, Poland decided to ask European Commissioner for Trade Valdis Dombrovskis to include frozen raspberries and strawberries in the so-called preventive measures, that is, a ban on imports from Ukraine," the press service quoted Polish Agriculture Minister Robert Telus as saying in a statement on the ministry's website.
A letter to this regard signed by Poland's minister of development and technology would be submitted to the European Commission in the near future, Telus said.
Intensive dialogue between the five countries most affected by market disruptions resulting from increased imports of agricultural products from Ukraine are a top priority for Poland, he said at a video conference with the agriculture ministers of Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia.
"We should speak one voice to protect the interests of our farmers and show this unity. This gives us strength, and then our voice will be heard," he said.
The agriculture ministers of Bulgaria, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania and Slovakia will meet in Warsaw on July 19 to discuss the situation on agricultural markets brought about by the Ukraine crisis, he said. Ukrainian Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Nikolai Solsky was also invited to attend this meeting, he said. The ministers will discuss possible steps to ensure fair competition conditions for agricultural producers from the EU member states and candidate countries, he said.
Telus said on social media that he urged all state inspectorates to conduct inspections of the companies that purchase and process raspberries due to suspected price collusion.
As reported, Polish farmers staged a number of protests near the processing plants between June and July due to low purchasing prices for strawberries and raspberries. They demanded that import of these berries from Ukraine be banned and that they be tested for pesticides.
The Polish government has already sent a letter to the European Commission asking to add berries to the list of banned imports of agricultural products from Ukraine, but did not expect a positive response. A decree on intervention purchases of raspberries by several state-owned processing plants was issued on the domestic market. This decision is expected to be extended to currant purchases, as well.
It was reported earlier that the EU's ban on imports of wheat, corn, rapeseed, and sunflower from Ukraine took effect on May 2 to replace unilateral import bans imposed back on April 28 by the countries bordering Ukraine, particularly Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia, in violation of the Association Agreement and EU's internal regulations.
Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia committed themselves to lifting their unilateral restrictions on these and any other agricultural products originating from Ukraine and allowing free passage of transit shipments.
On June 5, the European Commission extended restrictions on wheat, corn, rapeseed, and sunflower seeds imports from Ukraine to Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia until September 15 given that issues prompted by such imports were still not settled. The new regulations do now allow said crops to be shipped to those countries under contracts concluded prior to May 2.