Poland, Ukraine agree to restart transit of grain

Warsaw, April 19

Grain transports from Ukraine via Poland will resume on Friday, Polish Agriculture Minister Robert Telus has said, after two-day talks here with the Ukrainian side.

The transports will be escorted and monitored by a specialized electronic system while passing through Poland to make sure "that not one ton of grain (from Ukraine) will stay in Poland", he said in a press conference.

Polish Development and Technology Minister Waldemar Buda said Poland will maintain the ban on importing agricultural goods, but will "allow passage through Poland to four Polish ports and to other European countries", Xinhua news agency reported.

He noted that grain transports through Poland will be sealed with electronic GPS seals.

Hungary and Slovakia have imposed similar import bans, joining Poland, which banned both import and transit through the country last week after seeing weeks of protests staged by farmers against low prices.

"We are aware of the situation of Polish farmers, the Polish side understands Ukrainian farmers," Ukraine's First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko, who is visiting Warsaw for negotiations, said at the joint news conference.

The European Union (EU) has criticized member states for putting individual bans in place, and EU envoys are set to discuss the measures on Wednesday, according to a senior EU official.

--IANS