Farmers in Poland suspend Ukraine blockade after agreeing deal with government
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Ukrainian trucks are seen near the Poland-Ukraine border, in November 2023.
PHOTO: REUTERS
WARSAW - Polish farmers on Jan 6 suspended their blockade of a major crossing into neighbouring Ukraine following the signing of an agreement with the Polish government.
Polish truckers continue to blockade three other main border crossings into Ukraine - since November 2023 - in protest at “unfair competition” from Ukrainian counterparts and against the relaxation of access rules to the European Union for Ukrainian firms.
Polish farmers had added their voices to the protests.
“We have signed an agreement with the government and we are waiting for its implementation. The blockade has been suspended until our demands are met,” Mr Roman Kondrow, a protest organiser, told AFP.
Following a holiday season break, farmers had resumed their blockade on Jan 4 at the Medyka crossing in southern Poland, disrupting cargo traffic between the two countries, complaining they are suffering from a tail-off in prices dating back to early 2023 as a result of Ukrainian cereal imports.
The agreement signed with the agriculture ministry provides for some of the subsidies, as well as low-cost loans which the farmers have been demanding.
On Jan 3, Poland’s new Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he would try to convince hauliers “not to use the blockade as a method to defend their interests”.
He stressed his government “will do everything” to protect their interests as they face what he termed “unequal competition”. AFP
