Ukraine. Violators of grain export rules to the EU may already be punished

New rules for the export of agricultural products to certain EU countries, according to which exporters will be deprived of the right to verify their products in case of violation, will come into force in Ukraine on February 1, 2024. This was announced on TV by First Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Taras Vysotskyi.

He recalled that on November 10, 2023, Ukraine introduced an updated procedure for the export of grains, oilseeds and their products to ensure guaranteed exports by transparent and honest companies.

Mr. Vysotsky said that being on the list of verified exporters allows exporting grains, oilseeds and their products without additional procedures and without obtaining a license.

“If an enterprise is not on the list of certified exporters, it must submit a separate package of documents to obtain a license and undergo an even more detailed procedure for studying, analyzing and confirming its integrity and right to export,” the deputy minister said.

Thus, Ukraine is negotiating with Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria on licensing the export of wheat, corn, rapeseed, and sunseed.

“If a company wants to export there, and one of these five countries confirms that they need and are ready to import this product, then a license is issued for a specific batch,” Vysotsky said, noting that the document is issued only after the importer confirms. If countries do not confirm their readiness to accept a batch of Ukrainian grain, it is only in transit.

According to him, in case of violation of the rules for exporting wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower to Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria, the company is excluded from the list of verified exporters, and it can apply for inclusion in the list only after 6 months. Until then, the company will have to prepare a package of documents for each shipment, obtain a license, and confirm its integrity.

Vysotsky said that this provision came into force on February 1 and urged exporters not to violate the rules that are beneficial to all market participants.

In addition, he clarified that since November 10, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy has added about 2.5 thousand business entities to the list of verified agricultural exporters, which have been inspected and have the right to export without restrictions.

Tags: rapeseed, Hungary, Ukraine, Slovakia, Bulgaria, restrictions, corn, export, Romania, EU, Poland, wheat, sunseed