Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the leader of Poland’s ruling party Law and Justice (PiS), has promised to take action in response to the large influx of Ukrainian grain and other produce to the Polish market, which has caused outrage among farmers. Kaczynski presented a package of solutions to address the issue.
Dozens of farmers protested across Poland yesterday, citing the loss of income due to the import of cheaper Ukrainian grain. The grain, originally planned to be sent to the Middle East and Africa, ended up in Poland, driving down local prices and leaving farmers unable to sell their own grain due to lack of storage space. This issue has extended to other agricultural products, including poultry and eggs.
On Saturday, the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party held a congress in Lyse, a small village in north-eastern Poland, with a focus on agriculture.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Kaczynski has promised to take measures to support grain producers in his latest speech. To do this, he has announced that the government will be buying grain stored in silos and warehouses, and providing subsidies to push the price up to PLN 1,400 (EUR 300) per tonne from the current price of around PLN 900 (EUR 190) per tonne.
“First of all, we’ll embark on mass purchases of the grain that is now being kept in silos and warehouses with a subsidy that will raise the price to at least PLN 1,400,” Kaczynski said.
The leader of the party accused the European Union of being responsible for the issue, claiming that it was the result of “choices made outside our nation, within the European Union’s jurisdiction.”
Jarosław Kaczynski announced that the government will continue to provide subsidies for fertilisers.
Poland introduced the subsidies last year as the prices of fertilisers spiked due to soaring energy prices.
“It’s obvious that fertilisers are (dependant on – ed.) gas, and gas prices at one moment surged tenfold, today it’s less, but it’s still much more than before,” Kaczynski said. “In short, the subsidies will be maintained,” he said.
In an address to the nation today, Prime Minister Kaczynski announced that the government will be banning imports of grain and other foods from Ukraine. He stated that despite the close relationship between the two countries, there would be no exception to the new rule.
“Today the government has decided to issue a regulation that will ban… imports of grain to Poland, but also of dozens of other types of food,” he said.
Jarosław Kaczyński announced the decision to restrict food imports from Ukraine due to an imbalance between the two countries’ farming industries. Daczynski cited the disparity in soil quality, the lower cost of Ukrainian labour, and the prevalence of international companies with extensive infrastructure as the primary causes of the asymmetry.
“Given the asymmetry between the Polish and Ukrainian farming… if everything came here without limits… this could spur a grave crisis of Polish farming,” he said.
“We won’t allow this,” he added.
Polish party leader announced that their nation is prepared to sign a grain import agreement with Ukraine. The leader stated that the deal would help to support the economic ties between the two countries.
“We have notified our Ukrainian friends about the decisions and we’re ready… to start talks at any moment to deal with the issue as part of a bilateral agreement,” Kaczynski said.