Poland and Romania are not ready to significantly increase the transit and storage of Ukrainian agricultural produce, despite concerns about the impact of the export blockade on global food security, Politico writes.
Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy, Taras Vysotskyi, arrived in Brussels this week, where he urged European counterparts to help increase the volume of Ukrainian agricultural produce transported through EU territory. He said Ukraine also needs €1.1 billion to cover additional transport costs.
At present, less than half of Ukraine’s exports can be shipped via European rail, road and river routes. If the blockade continues, up to 35 million tonnes of agricultural produce could remain in Ukraine this year.
At the same time, Romania’s Minister of Agriculture, Barna Tánczos, said that the interests of the country’s own farmers remain a priority. He said a surplus of Ukrainian grain, together with low water levels on the Danube, is already placing a significant strain on Romanian ports and preventing local farmers from selling their own produce.
"Everyone knows we cannot double the number of trains, we cannot double the capacity of roads, railways and ports. That’s what it is," Tánczos said.
Poland is also not planning to increase the transit of Ukrainian agricultural produce. A spokesperson for the country’s Ministry of Infrastructure, Anna Shumanska, said the ministry is not planning changes aimed at increasing such transit.
At the same time, the European Union has not ruled out a joint response to the problem. EU Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen said the situation must be addressed, including in view of global food security, but Brussels has so far made no specific commitments.
Germany, according to the publication, is ready to help strengthen alternative export routes. Ukraine is also considering Dutch and German ports as additional channels for shipping agricultural produce.
According to Vysotskyi, harvested grain and oilseeds are piling up without buyers, leaving farmers without the funds needed to sow winter crops.
If the export situation continues until spring, the area under cultivation in Ukraine could shrink by 35–40%, the minister said.
Problems with Ukrainian exports could have consequences not only for Europe. According to the US Council on Foreign Relations, cuts in exports from Russia and Ukraine could affect more than 17% of global grain trade.
European farmers are also facing serious difficulties due to droughts, heatwaves and rising fuel and fertiliser costs. Romanian farmer Iulia Blagu said that part of the harvest is being left in the fields because of storage and transport problems.