POLISH FARMERS RAMP UP UKRAINE GRAIN PROTESTS
Polish farmers began disrupting traffic nationwide with blockades on Feb. 20, Reuters reported. Protesters at the Medyka border crossing were seen opening railway carriages to allow grain to pour onto the tracks in a video shared on the Telegram messaging app, an action condemned by Ukraine as a “political provocation.” Farmers across Europe have been demonstrating a range of grievances, including rising costs and what they say is unfair competition from abroad.
Protesters’ tractors carried banners that read “With grain flowing from Ukraine, Polish farmers will go bankrupt,” according to Reuters. Ukraine said its agricultural shipments through Eastern Europe have not affected markets. Ukrainian haulers began their round-the-clock counterdemonstrations at three crossings. Their protest is planned to last until March 15. Polish Agriculture Minister Czeslaw Siekierski previously said he is negotiating with Ukraine and that a deal limiting imports could be reached by the end of March.
(Link: WorldGrain)
INDIA HAS NO PLANS TO IMPORT WHEAT FOR NOW, TRADE MINISTER SAYS
“Ground reports indicate that the crop is quite good and this year’s production is expected at a record 114 million metric tons,” Piyush Goyal told reporters. The country’s wheat stocks at state warehouses stood at 16.47 million metric tons as of Jan. 1, the lowest since 2017. Goyal said India would for now continue with its export curbs on wheat, rice, and sugar. Goyal also said his government has no immediate plans to allow duty-free imports of corn, turning down the poultry industry’s demands. “Farmers will plant more maize this year,” he said.
(Link: vietnamagriculture)
