"I have resigned from my post as minister for agriculture and rural development," Kowalczyk told the media, blaming the European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, for failing to help farmers through measures such as tariffs on Ukrainian grain imports.
"Since it is evident that the farmers' main demand will not be met by the European Commission, I have decided to resign as minister of agriculture and rural development," Kowalczyk said in a statement posted by his office.
Poland has admitted some 2.8 million tonnes of Ukrainian grain since Ukraine's Black Sea ports were blocked following Russia's invasion in February last year, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency has reported.
Due to logistics bottlenecks, large quantities of Ukrainian grain, which is cheaper than that produced in the European Union, remain in central European countries, hurting prices and sales of local farmers, according to a report by the Reuters news agency.
At the end of last week, Poland and four other EU countries sent a joint letter to the European Commission, demanding restrictions on Ukrainian grain imports, according to officials.
The move was initiated by Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, who had previously criticised the EU executive for failing to deliver on its promise to send grain imported from Ukraine to Middle Eastern and African countries, Poland's PAP news agency reported.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Warsaw on Wednesday to discuss security and bilateral relations with Polish leaders. The talks were expected to touch on issues including "the transport of Ukrainian grain,” according to Polish government spokesman Piotr Müller.
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Source: IAR, PAP, Reuters, politico.eu
Click on the audio player above to listen to a report by Radio Poland's Piotr Miszczuk.