According to a recent report, the Polish government is currently engaged in discussions with countries in Africa and the Middle East regarding an increase in grain exports. This move comes as Poland seeks to make room for this year’s harvest while also dealing with a recent influx of Ukrainian grain. Deputy Foreign Minister Paweł Jabłoński recently stated that the issue of grain exports is linked to the transport of Ukrainian grain through Poland, and Polish leaders plan to discuss this issue with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during his upcoming visit to Poland.
Jabłoński further explained that Poland hopes to receive support from Ukraine to ensure that grain transported from Ukraine through Poland reaches its destination in Asia or Africa, rather than entering the Polish market. While Poland does not want to block these export transports completely, it does require Ukraine’s assistance in preventing dishonest practices among grain buyers. In addition to these discussions, Poland is currently seeking to increase its grain exports to African countries such as South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya.
Jabłoński also noted that there is growing interest among various customers in buying Polish grain, and talks are underway with potential importers in Northern Africa, such as Morocco, and the Persian Gulf, including countries like Saudi Arabia. However, Poland is grappling with a significant influx of Ukrainian grain, which has been diverted to central European countries due to logistics bottlenecks. This has led to lower prices and sales for local farmers. As a result, Poland and four other European Union countries recently called for EU curbs on Ukrainian grain imports, arguing that some form of restrictions on the volume of Ukrainian grain imports is necessary due to the problems caused by Russia’s war on Ukraine.