Poland, Hungary Ban Grain Imports From Ukraine

Facts

• Poland and Hungary have imposed a temporary ban on imports of grain and food products from Ukraine, citing the need to protect struggling local farmers after a flood of supply depressed prices across the region.¹
• Announcing the ban on Saturday, Poland's leader of the Law and Justice Party (PiS) Jaroslaw Kaczynski said: 'We are and remain unchanged friends and allies of Ukraine... But it is the duty of every state, every authority, good authority in any case, to protect the interests of its citizens.'²
• Meanwhile, Hungary said EU regulations — including a review of lifting import duties on Ukrainian produce — must change, as their effects would cause severe damage to local farmers. Both Warsaw and Budapest have said their bans will remain in force until 30 June.³
• However, Ukraine accused Poland of taking drastic unilateral actions that violate existing bilateral agreements on exports, and which make the situation difficult for Ukraine's farmers. Kyiv has called for talks to address the issue.⁴
• The ban — which includes a prohibition on imports of sugar, eggs, meat, milk and other dairy products, and fruits and vegetables — comes after large quantities of Ukrainian grain ended up staying in Central European states due to logistical bottlenecks, sending prices into a downward spiral.²
• In separate news, Russia released 130 Ukrainian prisoners of war — including soldiers, sailors, national guardsmen, and border guards — as part of a 'big Easter exchange' on Sunday.⁵

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²Reuters, ³Euronews, ⁴RT and ⁵Ukrinform.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Reuters. Instead of developing a system for ensuring the transit of Ukrainian agricultural produce for sale in African and Middle East countries, the Polish and Hungarian governments have responded with a knee-jerk reaction and made an unfair decision. While this move is not legally binding, as it contradicts bilateral trade agreements, the EU must stand together in opposition to the decision — evidence of a crack in Western solidarity in such challenging times would pose unthinkable issues for Kyiv.
• Narrative B, as provided by Euractiv. Polish and Hungarian farmers have reason to feel aggrieved as their produce is languishing in warehouses following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The EU is at serious risk of external shocks disrupting its food supply because of its heavy dependence on imports. Thus, revamping the entire agricultural infrastructure by creating a sustainable and diversified food system is essential to support and make its farmers much more resilient.

Predictions