Representatives of Slovenian farmers and cooperatives have expressed concern about imported Ukrainian wheat and flour, which is being sold in Slovenia at very low prices, local newspapers reported on Friday.
Franc Küčan, vice president of the Slovenian Farmers' Union, said that farmers and cooperatives are concerned about the import of Ukrainian wheat, which is sold for 170 euros per ton.
He criticized the European Commission for
"let Ukraine move freely in European markets with 20 million tons of wheat".
At a mid-week meeting of Slovenian farmers and cooperatives, which was also attended by members of the Chamber of Agriculture and Forestry, a Ukrainian company offering wheat flour at a price of 360-370 euros per ton was discussed, which, according to farmers' representatives, "undermines the Slovenian market".
The mentioned company offers the flour to Slovenian mills and other potential customers in Slovenian branded packaging.
The participants asked the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food to check whether the offered Ukrainian wheat and flour meet EU standards.
They have called on Minister Irena Sinko to ensure that Slovenia preserves the 28,000 hectares of land where wheat is grown, and direct payments are expected to compensate the difference between the purchase price (€220) and production costs (€285).
Farmers also warned that this year's barley and wheat harvests will be very poor.
According to estimates, Slovenian farmers harvest an average of 3.5-5.5 tons of barley per hectare, and the purchase price is currently EUR 130 per ton.
"This is only 60 percent of the production cost. This is very worrying, as this year's production is even more expensive than last year's due to higher fertilizer prices."
Küčan said.
Conditions were not ideal for wheat either. The rains of the past few weeks have slowed down ripening and pests have appeared.
Although the Agricultural Institute estimates that the average yield will be around six tons per hectare, according to Küčan, farmers expect a lower yield.
Featured image: Wheat is harvested near Melitopol in the Zaporizhzhya region of southeastern Ukraine on July 14, 2022, during the Russian war against Ukraine (Photo: MTI/EPA/Sergei Ilnytskyi)
