Robert Telus announced the policy shift at a news conference on Tuesday, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
It came after two days of talks between Polish and Ukrainian governments on ways to restore the transport of Ukrainian grain through Poland, according to officials.
The Polish agriculture minister told reporters that a second day of talks in Warsaw produced a breakthrough, the Reuters news agency reported.
Telus said: "We were forced to close the border because the European Union had its eyes closed on large amounts of grain flowing into Poland, but at the same time we continued talks with Ukraine on how to enable transit, but with a guarantee that grain would not be stuck in Poland, and we managed to find a solution."
Transit of Ukrainian grain to be ‘sealed, escorted and monitored’
He said that convoys of Ukrainian grain and food products going through Poland would be sealed with "electronic GPS seals," escorted by Polish authorities and monitored through the Polish government’s system for the electronic supervision of transport (SENT), to ensure that “not a tonne” of Ukrainian grain stays in Poland, the PAP news agency reported.
The deal is due to take effect at midnight on Friday, Development and Technology Minister Waldemar Buda said.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko told the news conference in Warsaw she was confident that “Ukrainian exporters will respect” the terms of the deal agreed with Poland.
Svyrydenko said the main cause of the grain issue was Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
She stated: “We are very grateful to the Polish nation. We are very grateful precisely for the support and solidarity. Together we’ll win.”
Poland, Hungary, Slovakia halt grain imports from Ukraine
Poland and Hungary announced bans on some imports from Ukraine on Saturday to protect their markets from an influx of supply, according to news reports.
Polish government spokesman Piotr Müller said on Sunday that "the decision to ban imports, including transit, of agri-food products from Ukraine has been taken due to the lack of other ways to ensure food security and stabilise the situation on the market."
The Polish ban is effective until June 30 and covers grain, sugar, fruit and vegetables, among other products, according to officials.
After Tuesday’s agreement between Poland and Ukraine, transit will now be exempt from the Polish embargo, the PAP news agency reported.
Meanwhile, Slovakia on Monday banned the import of grain and other farm products from Ukraine, following in the footsteps of Poland and Hungary, but will keep allowing transit to third countries, according to news outlets.
Central Europe grapples with influx of cheaper grain from Ukraine
Some Black Sea ports were blocked after Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops into Ukraine in February last year, and large quantities of Ukrainian grain—which is cheaper than that produced in the EU—ended up staying in Central European countries due to logistical bottlenecks, the Reuters news agency reported.
According to local farmers, this has lowered prices and reduced their sales.
At the end of last month, Poland and four other EU countries sent a joint letter to the European Commission, demanding restrictions on Ukrainian grain imports.
On Sunday, the bloc's executive said that unilateral action was unacceptable.
Tuesday is day 419 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: IAR, Reuters, PAP