EU commission mulls on subsidizing Ukrainian grain exports

Published August 20th, 2023 - 01:40 GMT
EU commission mulls on subsidizing Ukrainian grain exports
Harvesters collect wheat in the village of Zghurivka, Ukraine, on Aug. 9, 2022. – Source: Courthouse News Services

ALBAWABA – Several European Union (EU) countries on the border with Ukraine are seeking to extend the ban on grain imports from the war-inflicted country as the EU commission mulls on subsidizing Ukrainian grain exports.

Five EU member countries issued a ban on the import and domestic sale of Ukrainian grain earlier this year to protect their local farming sectors. They Bloomberg, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria.

EU commission mulls on subsidizing Ukrainian grain exports
The UN-chartered vessel MV Valsamitis is loaded to deliver 25,000 tonnes of Ukrainian wheat to Kenya and 5,000 tonnes to Ethiopia, at the port of Chornomorsk, east of Odessa on the Black Sea coast, on February 18, 2023, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by OLEKSANDR GIMANOV / AFP)

However, the European Commission, the executive body of the EU, is “seriously considering” subsidizing transport of Ukrainian grain through its member states, Bloomberg reported.

EU officials are meeting with representatives of the five countries to discuss subsidizing the transition of Ukrainian grain, the public radio in Poland reported on Saturday. 

However, the radio broadcast did not mention any sources, according to Bloomberg.

The estimated cost of subsidies may be around 30 euros ($32.62) per ton of grain, as per the report.

Recently, Ukraine’s export infrastructure was severely damaged by stepped-up attacks on its ports after Moscow pulled out of the grain agreement allowing Kyiv to ship grains via the Black Sea.

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