Poland should allow transit of Ukrainian grain through Polish ports – Polish Grain Chamber's president
It is advisable for Poland to maintain a blockade on the import of Ukrainian grain, but transit should be allowed when transshipment capacity is available in Polish ports, President of the Grain and Feed Chamber of Poland Monika Piątkowska said in an interview with farmer.pl.
"Today it would be better if the grain import blockade were maintained, and when it comes to transit, we could implement it to some extent and thus help Ukraine when we have free processing capacity in Polish ports," she said.
Piątkowska said that in the first quarter of 2024, Polish ports were not 100% loaded.
"We must conclude that our port infrastructure, but also our railway infrastructure, is ineffective. Now is the time to expand it. I believe that we have slept for the last two years in this context. Romania has received funds from the European Union, is expanding its infrastructure, and Poland is still I haven't done this yet," she said.
Piątkowska is confident that Poland must show both Ukraine and the international community that it wants to help effectively, but, on the other hand, it firmly defends the interests of the Polish farmer. These two goals, in her opinion, need to be combined.
"The faster we come to mutual understanding, the faster we develop mechanisms, the less complicated the atmosphere will be, which could hinder our broader cooperation not only with Ukraine, but also on the European arena," the president of the Polish Grain Chamber said.