Latvia’s ban on Russian grain did not stop anything, as transit is allowed

Lithuanian grain producers say that their biggest problem is not Ukrainian, but Russian grain, which enters the European Union in huge quantities. This is reported by LRT.

“These are impressive figures: more than 3 million tons of Russian grain passed through Latvia and Lithuania in 2023. In total, 12 million tons of Russian grain were imported to the EU market last year,” said Ausris Macijauskas, representative of the Lithuanian Grain Producers Association.

He noted that Russian grain is driving down prices in the EU, adding that the Russians are deliberately doing this to create chaos in the agricultural sector. But the European Commission has the tools to stop this.

“There is a regulation that allows the EU to intervene in the market in an emergency and start buying food products whose prices are falling sharply. In this case, it could buy Ukrainian grain on the territory of Ukraine and thus stabilize the market,” Macijauskas said.

Grain processors estimate that last year Lithuania imported about 50 thousand tons of Ukrainian grain, which is significantly less than before the war. Processors also emphasize that the real problem is Russian grain.

At the same time, it is noted that the Latvian parliament’s ban on imports of Russian and Belarusian agricultural products has changed little.

“They didn’t stop anything. They sent a very good message that they were stopping imports to Latvia, but even they did not stop the movement of the same Russian grain to Spain. The same grain can be shipped by boat to Spain and sold within the EU. If the goods are going to third countries, there is no ban on their transit through Latvia,” said Karolis Šimas, president of the Association of Grain Processors and Traders.

Some Lithuanian MPs have criticized the government’s indecision on banning imports of Russian and Belarusian grain.

As of March 14, the Lithuanian Ministry of Agriculture has decided to stop and inspect all grain shipments coming from Russia and other high-risk countries.

“Stricter measures will be applied to all grain traveling from this place of origin. The legislation is still being finalized, so, of course, companies and individuals involved in logistics are making their comments as they should,” said Lithuanian Agriculture Minister Kęstutis Navickas.

Tags: Russia, export, grain, Latvia