Ukrainian grain causing 鈥渄ifficulties for Hungarian agriculture鈥�
Ukrainian grain is causing 鈥渄ifficulties for Hungarian agriculture鈥� says Hungary鈥檚 Foreign Minister
Hungary鈥檚 Foreign Minister P茅ter Szijj谩rt贸 says the influx of Ukrainian grain is causing 鈥渢remendous difficulties for Hungarian agriculture鈥�
P茅ter Szijj谩rt贸, Hungary鈥檚 Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, has spoken to the 麻豆社 about his country鈥檚 decision, along with Poland and Slovakia, to ban agricultural imports from Ukraine. Warsaw has since struck a new deal with Kyiv to permit grain to transit through Poland.
Speaking to HARDtalk鈥檚 Stephen Sackur, Mr Szijj谩rt贸 said the influx of grain and other foodstuffs from Ukraine had caused 鈥渢remendous difficulties for Hungarian agriculture鈥�. Budapest, he said, had agreed to open transit routes through Hungary to third countries beyond the EU, but the grain had entered Central European markets and was 鈥渞uining our agricultural sector鈥�.
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the European Union suspended customs duties and quotas on Ukrainian grain imports. Most of the grain was meant to be re-exported from the EU to third countries in the Middle East and Africa, but some has remained in Central Europe leading to protests by domestic producers who say the imports have caused prices to crash.
The European Commission has condemned the bans introduced on Ukrainian grain imports. The Commission said it was not up to individual member states to make trade policy.
