Polish government approves financial aid plan for farmers

On April 25, the Polish government approved a decree that outlines a plan to help Polish farmers who have been protesting near the border with Ukraine and government offices in recent months, demanding more benefits and funding.

This was reported by RMF FM.

As explained by Polish Deputy Minister of Agriculture Michal Kolodziejczak, Polish farmers who sold grain from January 1 to March 10 will receive a subsidy of 200 zlotys per ton.

For farmers who sold grain from March 11 and will do so until the end of May, 300 zlotys per ton is planned.

According to Kolodziejczak, EU rules only provide for aid per hectare, so the amount of aid to farmers is determined based on yields according to the Central Statistical Office.

Head of the Prime Minister’s Office Jan Grabiec noted that the government’s decision is “retroactive”, as negotiations with farmers have been ongoing in recent weeks and months.

“We don’t want to put those farmers who decided to sell their grain after meetings with the Prime Minister, even at the lowest prices that can be obtained today, in a bad position,” he assured.

Since the end of last year, farmers in Poland have been staging protests, including blocking checkpoints on the border with Ukraine. They demanded to stop the import of Ukrainian agricultural products and to ease EU environmental regulations, which they blamed for their own losses.

On April 18, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called on Polish farmers to stop blocking the border with Ukraine, emphasizing that Ukraine is currently in an extremely difficult situation. After that, the blocking of some checkpoints was lifted.

Tags: subsidies, Poland