Markian Dmytrasevych, Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food, acknowledged that “exports of Ukrainian agricultural products [had] had an impact on our neighbours to the West”, on Monday 24 April before the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee.
He told MEPs that 20% of Ukraine’s arable land was “occupied or mined” as a result of the Russian war. Despite this, “we have harvested enough to guarantee food security in Ukraine and internationally”, he added.
According to Mr Dmytrasevych, his country has “been able to export, with the help of the EU, almost 59 million tonnes of agricultural products”. The next marketing year will present new challenges.
Ukraine has been able to export over 32 million tonnes of grain since April 2022. The minister admitted that Ukrainian wheat had been purchased in Poland, among other countries.
This also had a positive impact on the market. “Grain prices are more competitive, job opportunities have been created. Poland’s agricultural sector is breaking records in 2022”, the Ukrainian deputy minister argued.
The fall in prices in recent months is not only due to the strong presence of cereals in the EU’s neighbouring countries. Brazil’s high maize production was also affecting the world market, according to Markian Dmytrasevych.
Norbert Lins (EPP, German) declared: “This wheat, this cereal must reach third countries. This would avoid a lot of awkwardness”.
The influx of Ukrainian agricultural products has led Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria to temporarily ban grain imports from Ukraine to protect their farmers (see EUROPE 13165/1).
Herbert Dorfmann (EPP, Italian) noted that the ‘solidarity lanes’ had been created to support Ukrainian exports to third countries. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)