Poland, Ukraine agree on easing transit of grain and oilseed exports

Poland and Ukraine have arrived at the decision to make the transit of oilseed and grain exports much easier, following a meeting held between Ukrainian Agrarian Policy and Food Minister Mykola Solskyi and Polish Deputy Prime Minister - Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Henryk Kowalczyk. 

The decision will go into effect from March 8, 2023, when official custom stamps or seals will be compulsory to be applied to vehicles at custom checkpoints located near the Polish-Ukrainian border, Ukrinform reported. For transit via railways, transport companies will have to apply seals to each rail car.

The seals will then be verified by National Fiscal Administration representatives stationed at the border crossings. The representatives will also be responsible for removing the seals at three Polish sea ports, namely, Świnoujście, Gdańsk, and Gdynia.

For transit taking place through other nations, such as member states of the European Union, the seals will be removed at storage facilities situated in the countries. Furthermore, a database such as the NCTS system will allow authorities to maintain a record of cargo arriving at a specific location. 

Ukraine's Mykola Solskyi sheds light on new transit rules

According to Solskyi, the measures will be imposed in the "coming days". “We have achieved mutually beneficial results. It is important that these agreements take into account the interests of both Polish and Ukrainian farmers who carry grain in transit to other countries and to Polish ports. We are planning to implement these procedures in the coming days,” he said. 

He also revealed that cargo transport operations that are scheduled to take place next week will be carried out with complete compliance with the new rules. The new procedures will help in lowering queues at the border shared by Ukraine and Poland, thus ultimately making trade easier and hassle-free.