On January 4, Polish farmers renewed the blockade of the "Medyka-Sheghini" checkpoint on the border with Ukraine, making demands on the government regarding subsidies for corn, liquid loans for farmers and maintaining the agricultural tax at the level of the previous year.
The Deputy Chairman of the All-Ukrainian Agrarian Council, Denys Marchuk, assessed the damage that Ukraine suffered as a result of the resumption of the blockade on the Polish border. He also noted that the position of the Poles is not limited to the demand for subsidies for growing corn.
The head of the All-Ukrainian Agrarian Council emphasized that financial losses for the economy of Ukraine are colossal. The import ban, which has been in place since May, along with the blockade and transport ban, has caused several billion euros in damage.
According to the association of European carriers, the blockade alone has caused more than 15 billion euros in difficulties and losses since November.
The inability to pass through the blockade led to the loss of prospects for Ukraine. Distributors and logistics companies have established commercial relations with other parts of the Eurozone, as the Poles have closed imports to Ukraine.
Marchuk emphasized that many entrepreneurs, spending weeks in queues, lost the opportunity to sell their products in 2024.
Now, due to the blockade and travel restrictions, Ukraine has lost the opportunity to fulfill promising contracts for the next year. This will lead to indirect losses for Ukrainian business, particularly in the agricultural sector.
"When European trade networks cannot receive products from Ukraine on time, they look for an alternative. A Polish alternative is emerging here," added the Deputy Chairman of the All-Ukrainian Agrarian Council.
