CHISINAU (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th July, 2023) Romania, together with other countries, will seek an extension of the ban on imports of Ukrainian grain at least until the end of the year from the European Commission, Romanian Minister of Agriculture, Forests and Rural Development Florin Barbu said Wednesday.
"We are determined to support our farmers in the proper use of their products and the results of their work to ensure food security for us all ... We will go to the European Commission with a common position regarding the extension of preventive measures to a wider range of goods from Ukraine at least until the end of this year," Barbu told journalists.
He added that the situation in the region affects not only Ukrainian but also Romanian farmers, whose interests he has to protect.
Hungarian Agriculture Minister Istvan Nagy said later on Wednesday that Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania and Slovakia had agreed to cooperate because they were not satisfied with the September 15 deadline for the ban on Ukraine's grain imports.
"I would like to say with all possible certainty that Hungary will protect its farmers by all means if the European Union does not extend the deadline until at least December 31," Nagy said in a video on social media, adding that Budapest would use "all means to ensure that Hungarian farmers do not suffer further from very serious economic oppression."
On May 2, the European Commission banned the sale of Ukrainian wheat, maize, rapeseed, and sunflower seed in Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia until June 5 in a bid to "ease logistical bottlenecks," but allowed their circulation in other European markets. The ban was later extended until September 15.
Ukraine was granted a temporary duty-free trade arrangement with the European Union last June. In March 2022, the EU additionally launched green corridors to facilitate the transit of Ukrainian grain to the world market amid Russia's military operation. However, the cheap grain from Ukraine ended up flooding EU markets instead, prompting outrage among local farmers.
