SHAFAQNA- Slovakian Agriculture Minister Samuel Velchan announced on Wednesday, quoted by the national news agency TASR, that Slovakian farmers lost about 200 million euros as a result of the large influx of Ukrainian agricultural products to the country.
According to RT, the European Union last year removed tariffs and quotas for Ukrainian agricultural products and tried to provide financial support to Kyiv to facilitate its exports. However, Eastern European countries have faced protests as local farmers have struggled to compete with cheaper imports.
It is also stated that, earlier this month, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Bulgaria agreed to prevent Ukrainian food products from entering their markets.
That said, last week, the European Commission proposed 100 million euros ($109 million) to support farmers in five member states, almost double the amount Brussels had originally earmarked for the purpose.
The statement added that the ministers of agriculture of Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary, after banning the import of wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower seeds from Ukraine until June by the European Commission, requested to expand the list of products that are subject to this ban.
Source: RT
READ MORE FROM SHAFAQNA:
EU warned against unilateral actions in banning import of Ukrainian grain