Warsaw plans further discussions on agriculture with Kyiv in December

Poland has scheduled more talks with Ukraine about the agriculture market for December, the Polish Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development announced on Thursday.

Following a video call between the Polish and Ukrainian agriculture ministers on Tuesday, the two politicians agreed on further talks to be held in December. 

The Polish Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Czeslaw Siekierski, and his Ukrainian counterpart, Vitalii Koval, shared similar views on the importance of keeping the bilateral talks about agriculture ongoing, adding that they should share information and monitor the situation on the Ukrainian and Polish agricultural market. 

Warsaw-Kyiv relations, when it comes to the agriculture market, had seen rising tensions and been under threat of serious deterioration due to a mutual grain dispute, which kicked off last year, sparking angry protests on the border crossings separating the two countries. Last autumn, Polish farmers began blocking the border checkpoints, accusing their government of failing to protect domestic grain prices from falling due to the cheap Ukrainian cereal imports. The protesters blamed Ukraine, saying that the country was leveraging the war, which, they claimed, helped it to ease border restrictions on exporting its goods. Kyiv saw the dispute as a real threat looming over its economy, which has been suffering severe losses due to the Russian aggression. According to Reuter's estimations published last November, the border blockade could cost the Ukrainian economy one percent of its GDP growth.  

The protests occurred in several waves with short-lived pauses, finally ceasing in late April. The agreement followed a deal between the Polish Agriculture Ministry and domestic farmers, which included the launch of corn production subsidies, the maintenance of lower agricultural taxes, and an increase in preferential liquidity loans.

Next month's meeting will include both agriculture ministers and representatives of industry organisations from Poland and Ukraine. (PAP)

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