Bulgaria is considering a ban on imports of Ukrainian grain

The Bulgarian government is considering a ban on imports of Ukrainian grain following the example of Poland and Hungary. This was stated by Acting Minister of Agriculture Yavor Gechev, according to the local edition of “Радио Болгария” (Radio Bulgaria).

“Bulgaria’s interests must be protected. In addition, now that the two countries have already acted in this way, if we do not respond, the accumulation (of grain) in Bulgaria may increase,” he said.

Ahead of the statement, he spoke with counterparts from six countries about the issue. He claims that Bulgaria addressed this issue to Brussels in September 2022. Negotiations are currently underway between the country’s branches of government regarding Ukrainian grain.

As a reminder, the Hungarian government announced a ban on grain imports from Ukraine and linked it to the similar actions taken by Poland and Slovakia. To clarify, Slovakia only suspended processing of wheat imported from Ukraine as it found an increased amount of pesticide residues.

Subsequently, the European Commission stated that it believes that unilateral actions by EU member states on trade are unacceptable.

Tags: grain, restrictions, Ukraine, Bulgaria