The price of grain in the world is affected by the war against Ukraine – Mykola Solsky

Ukrainian ports are not operating at full capacity due to Russia’s military aggression. Therefore, to export Ukrainian grain, we have to look for alternative logistics routes, including through Poland.

This was emphasized by Mykola Solskyi, Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, commenting on the resignation of his Polish colleague Henryk Kowalczyk.

“Poland is and will remain our great friend and reliable partner, it is one of the countries that was the first to come to our aid and is doing everything possible, and sometimes impossible, to help us survive. We are grateful for this support and cooperation.

Russia’s war against Ukraine has affected the entire global agricultural market. The aggressor country has created problems for both Ukrainian and Polish producers and consumers, not only in Ukraine but also in Europe and Africa. And one of the main problems is the blocking of sea routes for Ukrainian grain exports,” the Minister emphasized.

According to Solsky, Russia continues to artificially restrain the export of Ukrainian grain by sea by hindering ship inspections in the Bosporus. Only 2-3 ships are inspected per day. If the entire international community managed to put pressure on Russia to increase these inspections, we could send several times more ships per day, and the flow of Ukrainian grain by road through European countries could decrease. For a Ukrainian farmer, exporting by sea is cheaper and therefore more profitable.

“Almost a year ago, the European Commission launched the Solidarity Routes initiative to establish alternative routes for exporting Ukrainian agricultural products and importing essential goods in the face of the seaport blockade. There was overwhelming support from Europe, including Poland, and this decision helped protect the critical interests of Ukrainian farmers.

We continue to bring our markets closer together, we are in favor of healthy competition and understand that allies should feel comfortable cooperating. Unfortunately, the war has made its own adjustments, and fortunately, the Poles understand this,” summarized Mykola Solsky.

Tags: Ukraine, grain, prices, Poland, war