Poland requests that the EU maintain the ban on Ukrainian grain in order to safeguard farmers and avoid a surplus.

In order to safeguard Polish farmers, the Polish government on Tuesday urged the European Union to prolong the embargo on grain imports from Ukraine past a deadline at the end of the week. The EU’s executive body, the European Commission, has been asked to prolong the prohibition on Ukraine importing corn, wheat, sunflower, and rapeseed. If this is not done, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki threatened to “do it ourselves because we cannot allow for a deregulation of the market. Speaking to farmers in the farming district of Kosow Lacki in eastern Poland, Morawiecki stated that the legislative elections scheduled for October 15 will be crucial to the country’s agricultural future. During its campaign, the ruling conservative Law and Justice party hopes to win over more farmers as supporters. In response to a directive from the European Union, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Romania placed an embargo on the four Ukrainian crops from April to September 15 in order to keep their domestic markets from experiencing a surplus that would negatively impact their farmers. In an effort to assist Ukraine in exporting its commodities abroad, only the movement of sealed items is permitted while Russia blocks the country’s regular export channels.