The president of Magosz is concerned and urges a solution due to the lifting of the ban on the import of Ukrainian grain

By: STA Date: 2023. 09. 18. 10:00

István Jakab, the president of the Association of Hungarian Farmers’ Associations and Farmers’ Cooperatives (Magosz), urged a solution for the benefit of Hungarian farmers for the period following the end of the ban on the import of Ukrainian grain on M1’s Monday morning program. He said, “we have always complied and will comply so that the Ukrainian grain gets to where it was intended, but it cannot destroy the Hungarian market”.

All domestic professional organizations agree that traders should not be able to bring Ukrainian grain to Hungary, thus making it impossible for Hungarian farmers – he referred to Sunday’s demonstration in Záhony, where 400 farmers protested against the Brussels decision made on Friday to cancel the import ban on Ukrainian grain. The president of Magosz explained that the Ukrainian grain market is run by oligarchs with a huge capital base, and this is ruining Hungarian and European farmers. This process must be stopped now, which is why there was a demonstration on Friday, he noted. He also drew attention to the fact that twenty types of active substances were identified in Ukrainian grain, which were banned in the EU decades ago. He explained: Grain is grown on 42 million hectares in Ukraine, and it had a traditional market, just like European grain. After the outbreak of the war, a humanitarian corridor was created to deliver crops to starving African countries, but instead the grain ended up in Hungarian warehouses, depressing prices. Those producers who invested in grain cultivation at an early age will become untenable and go bankrupt, he warned.

Domestic farmers must be protected

István Jakab emphasized: in this situation, Europe must think through how to protect its producers, who comply with all relevant legislation, in addition to grain – for a total of 24 products. The president of Magosz also objected that Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, only discussed and agreed on the issue with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and did not consult with the interest protection organizations of EU farmers. He said that the task going forward is to confront the president of the European Commission in every forum: the member states have governments, and they must be negotiated with. He indicated: they request that the Hungarian authorities monitor and control the route and exit of grain trucks arriving for transit purposes and exiting the country.

MTI