Hungary has banned imports from Ukraine of a number of agricultural products, including honey and some meat products, in addition to grain, until June 30.
Member of the National Assembly of Hungary Gergely Gulyás stated this on Thursday, Ukrinform reports citing Reuters.
According to him, Hungary’s ban on imports of major grain and agricultural products includes a total of 25 products. The most important of them are cereals, rapeseed and sunflower seeds, flour, oil, honey, and some meat products.
Hungary’s Agriculture Minister István Nagy said that Hungary would continue to allow the transit of Ukrainian grain, ensuring that such shipments are sent in a controlled manner.
It was worthwhile for Hungary to take decisive action and protect the interests of Hungarian farmers, he said, referring to the ban.
As reported, five countries (Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria) have written to the European Commission (EC) asking it to limit agricultural imports from Ukraine. The large flow of grain and products entering the EU market from Ukraine has led to a drop in prices for such products and has harmed farmers in countries bordering Ukraine.
Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia have completely banned the import of Ukrainian agricultural goods into their territory. Yesterday, the EC reiterated that it does not support such unilateral actions, as trade regulation is within the EU’s competence. Earlier, the EU allocated 56 million euros to support farmers in the EU countries bordering Ukraine. Recently, the EC’s spokesperson announced the development of a second, larger package of such assistance for EU’s farmers.
The EU’s “solidarity corridors” were organized on the borders with Ukraine in response to Russia’s naval blockade of Ukrainian Black Sea ports, through which Ukrainian grain was exported to the world market before Russian war. The blockade resulted in the threat of famine in the world’s most vulnerable countries.
To mitigate this threat, the so-called Black Sea Grain Initiative was launched at the initiative of the UN and Turkey. It allowed the export of some Ukrainian grain but is now being blocked by the Russian Federation.
Thanks to the EU’s “solidarity corridors”, Ukraine has managed to export more than 25 million tonnes of grain from Ukraine by land, road, rail, and inland waterways.
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