Agriculture minister Marek Sawicki has said that cabbage and pepper growers may be the first Polish farmers to receive compensation in connection with Russia’s import ban.
Vegetables that would normally be exported to Russia will have to be withdrawn from the market and most likely destroyed, Sawicki said yesterday.
He said it was yet unclear who would supervise the process. The minister stressed that he would look for new markets to sell Polish agricultural produce, possibly in North Africa and in Asia. However, these countries will not be able to make up for the loss.
Russia purchased some 700,000 tons of fruit and vegetables from Poland. In 2013 Poland sold about 7 percent of its agricultural and food products, worth about 1.3 billion euro, to Russia. Exports to the EU stood at more than 16 billion euro, Sawicki also said.
More information may be expected later today, after the first meeting of the anti-crisis group formed to cope with the situation after the embargo upon the agriculture minister’s request. Representatives of the Polish government met officials from the European Commission on Thursday to discuss possible compensation for Polish farmers from the EU budget.
Losses resulting from the Russian embargo have been estimated at 500 million euro. According to information obtained by Polish Radio, the EC may want to direct the money to only some growers and was mostly interested in the situation on the apple market.
Poland would like the compensation to go to a wider scope of farmers, including producers of peppers, cabbage, mushrooms, currants, cherries and tomatoes. A preliminary proposal from the EC is expected to come next week, with the EU budget including a reserve of 400 million annually for crisis situations in agriculture.
Source: Polskie Radio - pw/pg
http://www.thenews.pl/1/12/Artykul/178346,Farmers-closer-to-compensation-for-Russian-embargo