Poland to halt Ukraine grain imports temporarily

Imports of Ukrainian grain to Poland will be temporarily halted to mitigate impact on prices, but transit will still be allowed, Polish Agriculture Minister Robert Telus said on Friday.

Telus took office on Thursday after his predecessor resigned amid farmers' protests over falling prices of produce.

"We agreed to limit and for now halt exports to Poland," Telus told reporters after meeting his Ukrainian counterpart. "Transit will be allowed but will be closely monitored in both countries, so that Ukraine grain doesn't stay in Poland."

Large quantities of Ukrainian grains, which are cheaper than those produced in the European Union, have ended up staying in Central European states amid logistical bottlenecks, hitting prices and sales for local farmers.

This created a political problem for Poland's ruling nationalists Law and Justice (PiS) in an election year.

The prime ministers of five states including Poland last month wrote to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to demand action on Ukrainian agricultural imports.