In order to protect Hungarian farmers and consumers, the government ordered a temporary ban with effect from Wednesday on the import of the most important cereals from Ukraine, as well as those agricultural products, in the case of which the lack of EU steps exposed Hungarian farmers to a market situation that they could not defend, Nagy said in connection with the government decree published on Tuesday Minister of Agriculture István.

He explained

the ban covers, among other things, cereals, rapeseed and sunflower seeds, flour, cooking oil, honey, as well as certain types of meat and lasts until June 30, 2023. At the same time, Hungary does not prohibit the transit of these products within its territory, i.e. transit shipments are still allowed,

however, the competent authorities will provide them with a lock at the border, monitor them with the help of electronic devices and patrols, and will control the transit procedures of the affected products throughout the country. Carriers who break the rules can be punished, the penalty can even extend to the full value of the shipment, added István Nagy.

He highlighted:

in order to prevent the ban from being circumvented, in the case of cereals and oilseeds intended to be imported from other countries - specified in the decree, which are currently not subject to notification - the notification to the Electronic Road Goods Traffic Control System will also become mandatory.

István Nagy expects the measures introduced for the interim period to provide an opportunity to take meaningful and lasting EU measures, to reconsider the full duty-free nature of Ukrainian goods and the operation of the solidarity corridors. In the case of the solidarity corridors already opened from Ukraine to the European Union, i.e. facilitated land transport routes, an EU-level agreement with Ukraine would be necessary, which guarantees that the Ukrainian products intended to be exported through them will be directed to their original target markets.

Brussels promised that Ukrainian grain would be delivered to feed African and Middle Eastern countries, but this did not happen.

The complete duty-free nature of Ukrainian agricultural goods cannot be maintained either, as they are produced with a competitive advantage that is significantly lower than the European ones, thanks to the huge plant sizes and cultivation and plant protection practices that are no longer allowed in the European Union, the head of the ministry emphasized. The minister stated that the actors of agriculture expect fair market conditions for European agriculture from the Union.

The Hungarian government always stands by Hungarian farmers and protects the interests of Hungarian agriculture.

Source: hirado.hu