Between January and April 2023, Polish imports of Ukrainian grain surged dramatically, with an estimated six hundredfold rise in wheat from Ukraine compared to the same period a year earlier. This surge is noted in Polish press reporting from 2023, which also highlights a broader shift in trade between Ukraine and Poland through 2022, where the volume of Ukrainian grain entering Poland nearly tripled from 1.1 million tons to about 3.3 million tons in a single year.
The rapid increase in Ukrainian grain in Poland raised concerns among local farmers who felt the market was tilted in favor of cheaper imports from Ukraine. In response, the European Commission implemented transit rules that restricted non-transit movements of Ukrainian grain across Polish territory. The EC also placed temporary bans on Ukrainian grain imports into Poland and several neighboring countries including Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, and Slovakia, with the suspension set to last until September 15 of the year, unless new EU-level decisions were made.
By late April, Poland’s Minister of Development and Technology announced plans in Warsaw to extend the import ban on Ukrainian grain through the rest of the year. The minister emphasized that the restriction on not just grain but a selection of Ukrainian commodities would remain in place until year-end, pending any new EU measures that could alter the policy direction.
Meanwhile, discussions in the European Parliament surfaced allegations that Poland, along with Hungary and Slovakia, had been receiving support linked to Ukrainian grain that critics linked to Russia. These claims have fed into the broader political debate over food supply chains and regional resilience in the face of ongoing disruptions.
Analysts note that the situation reflects a complex balance between maintaining open trade relations with Ukraine, ensuring fair competition for domestic farmers, and upholding a stable supply chain for European consumers. The developments also illustrate how EU-level governance and national policy choices interact when responding to evolving agricultural markets, transport logistics, and international aid dynamics. Ongoing monitoring by national authorities and EU institutions is expected to shape future decisions on transit rules, import restrictions, and the potential recalibration of support measures for farmers across Central and Eastern Europe. In each case, the ultimate aim remains to preserve rural livelihoods while safeguarding regional food security in a volatile global market.