Ukraine said on Monday it had tightened rules relating to certain food exports, imposing a six-month trade ban on any company that violates regulations, to ease tensions with neighboring countries.
The EU suspended import duties, quotas and trade defense measures for imports from Ukraine in June 2022 to support its economy following Russia's invasion.
However, cheap Ukrainian grain exports have sparked protests from governments, farmers and truck drivers in neighboring countries such as Poland and Hungary.
To address the problem, Ukraine introduced a special export control mechanism in October, allowing the government to better track shipments and punish violators. Furthermore, the new rules came into force on Friday.
“The government adopted a decree that improves rules for the export of certain agricultural products to prevent abuses,” the Ministry of Finance said. “For example, if a sunflower planned for Greece is sold in Bulgaria, the entrepreneur is excluded from the verified agricultural entities,” the ministry added.
By mid-September, the EU had allowed five countries to ban domestic sales of Ukrainian wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower seeds. This was done with the intention that the products would be transported for export elsewhere.
The European Commission is considering allowing restrictions on agricultural imports from Ukraine while extending trade with Kiev until June 2025.
Source: Pavel Polityuk | Notícias Agrícolas
