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640,000 tonnes of Ukrainian grain brought to Poland since Feb. 24: gov’t minister

20.07.2022 23:00
Some 640,000 tonnes of Ukrainian grain have been brought into Poland since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, the Polish agriculture minister has said. 
Henryk Kowalczyk (centre).
Henryk Kowalczyk (centre).PAP/Leszek Szymański

Henryk Kowalczyk announced the figure "as of June 30" at a news conference on Wednesday, public broadcaster Polish Radio's IAR news agency reported. 

Kowalczyk, who is also a deputy prime minister, said Ukrainian grain arriving in Poland was being reexported to Western Europe.

He added that Poland exported 1.4 million tonnes of grain during the same period. 

"Given the current domestic demand, the influx of grain from war-torn Ukraine does not influence the prices offered to Polish farmers," Kowalczyk told reporters.

He announced that "in a matter of weeks" Poland would unveil a new terminal for food and agricultural products in the northern port city of Gdańsk. 

The new facility will boost Poland’s grain export capacity by half, according to Kowalczyk. 

Ukraine has been looking for alternative ways to export its grain after Russia blockaded the country's Black Sea ports, news outlets reported. 

Poland has offered to help Ukraine bring its harvest to the world, while US President Joe Biden said Washington would team up with European partners to get Ukrainian grain "through other countries by rail."

Biden also said the United States would build temporary grain silos on the borders of Ukraine, "including in Poland," to facilitate the export of Ukrainian grain.  

Ukraine is one of the world’s top exporters of key agricultural products, such as wheat, barley and maize, according to experts.

Before the war, many African countries based their food policies on deliveries from Ukraine.

Last month, the United Nations warned that the number of people suffering from acute hunger could rise by 47 million worldwide if the war in Ukraine continued.

Wednesday was day 147 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

(pm/gs)

Source: IAR, PAPbusinessinsider.com.pl