Donald Tusk, the leader of the main opposition party, Civic Platform, made the remark during a visit to southwestern Poland on Monday, tvp.info reported.
Tusk’s remarks about Ukrainian grain
Tusk, who is a former prime minister, said that Polish farmers had told him of their concerns about “unexpected competition.”
He added: “There is a war, the ports are blockaded and an increasing amount of transports is going from Ukraine via Poland to other countries.”
The former PM stated: “Unfortunately, what this means for Polish farmers is that some of this grain will be sold in Poland at significantly lower prices,” as cited by tvp.info.
Tusk’s remark came in for heavy criticism in social media, tvp.info reported. Commentators pointed out that Poland was helping Ukraine export its grain amid the Russian blockade of the Black Sea ports, according to tvp.info.
Russia’s state news agency relates Tusk’s words
Meanwhile, the Kremlin-controlled news agency Ria Novosti quoted Tusk’s words at length, tvp.info reported.
Ria Novosti noted that “according to Tusk, Ukrainian grain may pose a danger to Polish farmers,” as quoted by tvp.info.
The Russian state news agency added: “Tusk is concerned that some of the grain being transported through Poland could be sold in the country,” tvp.info wrote.
EU monitoring situation
Meanwhile, Poland’s Agriculture Ministry noted that “the European Union last month lifted tariffs on Ukrainian agricultural products bound for EU markets,” tvp.info reported.
However, the European Commission is ready to impose protective measures “if the new system threatens to harm EU producers, including Polish farmers,” the ministry stated, according to tvp.info.
The role of Ukraine’s grain
Ukraine is one of the top exporters of grain worldwide.
However, due to the war and the resulting Russian blockade of Black Sea ports, it has been unable to bring its harvest to the world.
Last week, the United Nations warned that the total number of people suffering from acute hunger could rise by 47 million, if the war in Ukraine continues.
Sub-Saharan Africa is the most affected region, officials said.
Tuesday is day 104 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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Source: tvp.info, dziennik.pl