Bulgaria bans imports of sunflower seeds from Ukraine until Dec
MOSCOW. Oct 2 (Interfax) - Ukrainian and Bulgarian agriculture ministers Nikolai Solsky and Kiril Vatev discussed technical issues concerning exports of Ukrainian agricultural products to Bulgaria during online talks on Friday.
The Bulgarian government believes the action plan for exports of agricultural products that Ukraine presented to the European Commission is acceptable, Ukraine's Agrarian Policy and Food Ministry said in a press release.
"Bulgaria has its own proposals for the mechanism presented by Ukraine for licensing certain types of agricultural products. Specifically, this concerns sunflower seeds. Bulgaria does not have objections against exports of the other three crops," the ministry said.
Bulgaria's Agriculture Ministry said on its website that Vatev familiarized Solsky with the memorandum that the Bulgarian government signed with the action committee of the country's farmers calling for a ban on sunflower seeds from Ukraine until the end of November. After this, Ukrainian exports of sunflower seeds, wheat, corn and rapeseed will be subject to licensing in line with the plan Ukraine agreed with the EC.
Vatev also reported that Bulgarian farmers and processors are concerned about imports of refined and unrefined sunflower oil, powdered milk, honey, sugar and frozen raspberries from Ukraine. It is very important to discuss all problems that affect farmers and look for ways to solve them together, he said.
The Bulgarian ministry also said that the exchange of information between the two countries' agriculture ministries on exports and imports of certain agricultural goods will become weekly.
The Ukrainian ministry said the ministers agreed to work out the technical details of the procedure for exports of agricultural products to Bulgaria and discuss the results in the first half of October.
Solsky said earlier that Ukraine had worked out a procedure for verifying exports of four agricultural crops in line with an EC decision and does not currently export agricultural products to five border countries without their consent.
He said Ukraine is introducing an internal procedure for verifying exports of four crops - corn, rapeseed, sunflower and wheat - to five European Union countries. This procedure provides for the issue of a license from the Ukrainian government within 30 days of the export application being received. Within these 30 days Ukraine will inform the EC and the relevant country about receiving the request for exports. The relevant government resolution has already been passed, so exports to the five countries without their consent are no longer happening, Solsky said.
The agriculture sector in Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria has been hurt by duty-free exports of cheap food products from Ukraine to the European Union that inundated the markets of these countries and pushed down prices for local goods. Under pressure from these five countries, in May the EC imposed a ban on imports of Ukrainian wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower seed until September 15.
After the restrictions were lifted, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia imposed unilateral import bans, while Bulgaria considered imposing a quota on imports of Ukrainian sunflower seeds. Poland expanded the import ban to rapeseed meal and cake, corn bran, wheat flour and derivative products, while Hungary expanded its list of banned Ukrainian imports to 24 items.
In response, Ukraine filed a lawsuit in the World Trade Organization accusing Poland, Hungary and Slovakia of discriminating against Ukrainian agricultural products.