<div style="text-align: justify; "><b style="font-size: 1rem;">Poland and Hungary on Saturday banned imports of grain and other food from Ukraine to protect local farmers, officials from both countries said.</b><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ukraine's grain exports have been transiting through the European Union to other countries since the war-torn nation's traditional Black Sea routes were blocked by Russia's invasion.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But because of logistical issues, the grain had been piling up and driving down prices, which led to protests from farmers and the resignation of Poland's agriculture minister.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Today the government decided on a regulation to ban the entry, imports of grain into Poland, as well as of dozens of other kinds of food," the governing party's leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Otherwise "it would lead to a far-reaching crisis of Poland's farming sector... We have to protect Polish agriculture," he added.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Speaking at a convention of his right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party in the northern village of Lyse, Kaczynski stressed that Poland remained a staunch supporter of neighbouring Ukraine.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"We remain, without even the slightest change, friends and allies of Ukraine," he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In a similar announcement, Hungarian Agriculture Minister Istvan Nagy in a Facebook message also said Hungary was banning the import of agricultural products from Ukraine.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Both Warsaw and Budapest said that their bans will last until June 30.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In Poland the ban will apply to imports of grain, sugar, meat, fruits and vegetables, milk, eggs and other food items.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A Hungarian agriculture ministry statement sent to MTI news agency said grain, oilseeds and several other agricultural products would be banned.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Responding to Poland's announcement, Ukraine's ministry of agrarian policy said on Saturday that it "regrets the decision".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Polish farmers are facing a difficult situation, but we emphasise that Ukrainian farmers are facing the most difficult situation" given the war, it added.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The ministry proposed for the two countries to come to a new agreement in the coming days that would satisfy both sides.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Polish government spokesman Piotr Muller told the PAP news agency that "we are open to other actions that could stabilise the situation."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Budapest said in its statement that, during the ban period "the government expects a permanent solution and the adoption of EU measures".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Hungary "is committed to representing the interests of the Hungarian farming community," it added.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Last month, Poland and Hungary were among several European countries that requested help from the European Union to counter the impact of cheap Ukrainian grain. AFP</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>