Lithuanian farmers say they have problems with Russian and not Ukrainian grain

Lithuanian farmers, amid a partial blockade by farmers on the Polish-Lithuanian border over Ukrainian grain, say they are more concerned about the import of Russian grain, Rubryka reports, referring to LRT.

Since Friday, Polish farmers have been partially blocking the main road at the former border crossing between Poland and Lithuania, inspecting trucks amid fears that some Ukrainian grain imported into Lithuania is being sent back to Poland.

However, Lithuanian grain producers say their biggest problem is not Ukrainian grain but Russian grain, which is entering the EU in huge quantities.

"These are staggering figures: over 3 million tons of Russian grain passed through Latvia and Lithuania together in 2023. In total, 12 million tons of Russian grain were imported into the EU last year," said Aušrys Macijauskas, Chairman of the Lithuanian Grain Producers Association.

According to him, Russian grain depresses prices across the EU. Russians deliberately engage in dumping to create chaos in the agricultural sector, but the European Commission has tools to put an end to this.

"There is a regulation that allows the EU to intervene in the market in emergencies and start buying food products when prices sharply decline," said Macijauskas.

According to grain processors' estimates, about 50,000 tons of Ukrainian grain were imported into Lithuania last year, much less than in the pre-war period. Processors, like grain producers, emphasize that the real problem is Russian grain.

The Latvian parliament has temporarily banned the import of agricultural products from Russia and Belarus until at least July 2025. But even this step has changed little, say processors.

Therefore, Latvia demands a ban on the export of Russian grain to the EU, as all such products can be replaced with goods from Ukraine.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda stated the day before that he supports proposals to ban the import of Russian grain.

Earlier, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk promised to appeal to the Polish Sejm about imposing sanctions against Russian and Belarusian agricultural products.