SAEDINENIE, Bulgaria: Angel Vukodinov fumes over the piles of unsold sunflower seeds in his granary in central Bulgaria. Like other farmers in eastern EU nations, he blames an influx of Ukrainian grain for the mess.
The European Union has allowed Ukraine to export agricultural goods through the bloc after Russia’s invasion disrupted the country’s traditional Black Sea shipping lanes last year.
Farmers in eastern EU states have protested in recent months, saying the move saturated the market and led to a massive drop in prices in their countries.
In response, the EU has offered financial aid for farmers impacted by the influx.
“We have nothing against the Ukrainian people… But the compensation offered by the EU for our losses is a joke,” said Vukodinov, 61, who has been a farmer for more than 30 years in the central Bulgarian town of Saedinenie.
Following protests, authorities in Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia announced over the past week that they would temporarily ban Ukrainian grains, though goods are still allowed to transit through amid EU talks to find a solution.
Following Russia’s Black Sea blockade last year, EU member states agreed to import certain products from Ukraine without quantitative restrictions and customs inspection. The goods were destined for Africa and the Middle East, but they got stuck, partially due to logistical problems, including the poor infrastructure in Bulgaria. –Agencies
