Spain, Italy and France remain the main buyers of Russian grain

Despite all the attention to Ukrainian agricultural exports, several EU countries continue to buy cheap Russian products. This was reported by Politico.

Spain, Italy and France are regular buyers of Russian grain. At the urging of Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and other Eastern EU countries, the European Commission is ready to restore tariffs on imports from Russia, which will effectively double their price and suppress demand.

However, analysts believe that this step will not be a real solution to the difficult economic situation faced by European farmers, given the relatively low share of the EU market that is accounted for by imports.

Experts argue that instead of arguing about the impact of grain imports on farmers, EU countries would be better off helping Ukraine export its own agricultural products to prevent Russian dominance, especially in low-income countries. Officials in Ukraine agree with this view.

Russia has sent hundreds of thousands of tons of free grain to countries in Africa and Asia controlled by authoritarian regimes.

We need to take seriously this concept that Ukraine needs to return to its traditional markets in third countries in order to push Russia away. This is absolutely clear, and we are already doing it,” said Taras Kachka, Ukraine’s trade representative.

Tags: Spain, Italy, Russia, grain, France