Polish Agriculture Minister, Henryk Kowalczyk resigned from his post on Wednesday, citing the European Commission’s decision to extend duty-free imports for Ukrainian grain until June 2024, which has led to rising anger among Polish farmers.
Kowalczyk said in a statement, “Since it is clear that this demand will not be met by the European Commission at this point, I decided to resign from the post of agriculture minister.”
The logistical bottlenecks have led to large quantities of Ukrainian grains, which are cheaper than those produced in the European Union, flooding Central European states, causing prices to plummet and sales of local farmers to suffer. This has created a headache for Poland’s ruling nationalists’ law and Justice (PiS) in an election year.
Prime ministers of five states, including Poland, wrote to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday to demand action on Ukrainian agricultural imports.
They warned that tariffs may have to be reintroduced if the influx of grain and other products from Ukraine cannot be stopped by other means.
“The influx of cheap Ukrainian agricultural products has had a significant impact on our farmers and food producers, with devastating consequences for our rural communities,” the prime ministers wrote.
Polish farmers had been calling for the introduction of tariffs to address the problem, but the European Commission’s decision to extend duty-free imports dashed their hopes. This move has caused tension between Poland and Ukraine, as well as within the Polish government itself.
The resignation of Kowalczyk, who was appointed in 2020, is seen as a significant blow to the PiS, which has traditionally been supported by farmers.
The head of the Polish Peasants’ Party, which is part of the ruling coalition, Andrzej Jaworski said, “Kowalczyk’s resignation is a clear sign that the government is not capable of protecting the interests of Polish farmers and that the situation has become unbearable.”
The situation has highlighted the growing tension between the EU and its neighbors, as well as the challenges of balancing economic interests and political considerations. The EU has been under pressure to support Ukraine in its conflict with Russia, but this has come at a cost to some of its own members.
The resignation of Kowalczyk has sent shockwaves through the Polish government, which is now facing increased pressure to find a solution to the problem of Ukrainian grain imports.
