A Polish-Ukrainian grain agreement will only allow Ukrainian grain to transit through Poland to third countries at least until July, said Janusz Kowalski, Poland's deputy minister of agriculture, to TVP.
Low-price Ukrainian grain has been flooding the EU market since the beginning of the Russian invasion into that country. Polish farmers have been protesting against what they view as a threat to their domestic market.
According to a reports, the dispute was reportedly settled during President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to Poland on April 5, during which he met with top Polish officials.
Zelensky advocated for tariffs on all agricultural products from Ukraine, calling it a significant battle between the European Commission and Poland to protect Polish agriculture.
In a letter to the European Commission in late March, Poland, and four other central European countries, called for several measures to limit market distortions caused by the influx of Ukrainian imports. The letter said if these measures were not successful, tariffs and tariff quotas should be reintroduced.
Last week, the European Commission decided to extend duty-free imports for Ukrainian grain until June 2024, causing Polish Agriculture Minister Henryk Kowalczyk to resign.
"Since it is very clear that the basic postulate of farmers will not be met by the European Commission, I have made a decision and resigned from the function of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development," Kowalczyk said in his resignation statement.
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