Poland sees Ukrainian farmers as competitors while Russian agricultural exports continue entering the EU

The issue of Ukrainian agricultural exports to Poland has been actively used by certain political forces in recent years to appeal to voters. However, accusations against Ukrainian farmers lack sufficient economic justification. At the same time, Polish politicians tend to overlook the presence of Russian agricultural products on the EU market.

This opinion was expressed by Denys Marchuk, Deputy Chairman of the Ukrainian Agri Council: “If we analyze the situation surrounding Ukrainian agricultural exports to Poland, about 80% of the discussion today consists of politics and emotions, while only 20% concerns practical issues that actually require discussion. The agricultural sector is currently one of the most challenging areas in Ukraine’s European integration process, as it is here that we see the greatest reservations from certain countries. This concerns not only Poland, but also Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, and Bulgaria, where accusations against Ukrainian farmers are periodically voiced.”

According to Marchuk, widespread claims that Ukrainian grain is pushing Polish products out of the market due to low prices do not reflect the actual economic situation.

“Claims that Ukrainian grain is excessively cheap and therefore competes unfairly with Polish grain have no solid economic basis. European farmers should understand that global grain prices have been declining for quite some time. Yet Ukraine is somehow always blamed for this. Under wartime conditions, Ukrainian production costs are extremely high, as are logistics costs. Delivering grain from central Ukraine to the Polish border is far from inexpensive, making it significantly more costly than products grown within Poland itself. Discussions of this kind should be based on figures and real economic realities,” the Deputy Chairman of the Ukrainian Agri Council explained.

He also pointed out that while the EU frequently discusses competition from Ukrainian products, far less attention is paid to the presence of Russian goods on the European market.

“When Poland and other EU countries speak about threats posed by Ukrainian agricultural products, the issue of Russian products on the European market is rarely raised. In reality, Russian agricultural products continue to be present in Europe and compete with local producers. Moreover, the Russian agricultural sector receives substantial state support, enabling Russian companies to offer products at more competitive prices. Ukraine’s agricultural sector does not enjoy a comparable level of government support,” Marchuk emphasized.

Denys Marchuk also stressed that Ukraine is interested not in confrontation but in developing partnership relations with Poland and other EU member states. The parties should seek new opportunities for cooperation and joint access to promising global markets.