Romania and Ukraine to work on plan to limit grain imports
Romanian Agriculture Minister Florin Barbu announced on Wednesday that Bucharest and Kyiv will work together for a month on a plan to control grain exports to help protect Romanian farmers.
This is reported by Reuters.
The Romanian official said that within 30 days, after which the export control system in Ukraine should come into force, Romania will create a "clear import licensing procedure for Romanian farmers and processors."
"I am confident that this mechanism, proposed by the European Commission, accepted by Ukraine, and agreed upon by us in the interests of farmers, will be fully operational," Barbu added.
The Romanian agriculture minister also said that Bucharest would issue import licenses only to Romanian farmers and processors who need to replenish stocks, not to intermediaries and that all imports would be checked for food safety.
Romania is one of five Eastern European EU countries, along with Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia, that have experienced a sharp increase in imports of Ukrainian grain since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Author - Olena Madiak, 21/09/2023
