Romania and four other EU member states neighboring Ukraine will submit a joint request to Brussels on Wednesday to extend the ban on grain imports from Ukraine beyond the September 15 deadline, Hungary’s agriculture minister told Reuters, as quoted by News.ro.

Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia have become alternative transit routes for Ukrainian grain to compensate for a slowdown in exports through the country’s Black Sea ports since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began last year.

The collapse of the agreement that this week allowed the export of Ukrainian grain to the Black Sea could lead to increased grain flows and blockages in five countries, these Central European countries fear.

In May, the European Union allowed five countries to ban domestic sales of wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower seeds from Ukraine, allowing only the transit of these goods for export to other countries, including other EU countries.

This ban ends on September 15, after being extended once again through the summer.

Countries that transit a large amount of Ukrainian wheat want to extend the ban until the end of the year

Before leaving for the meeting in Warsaw, Hungarian Agriculture Minister Istvan Nagy said that the five countries will demand that the import ban remain in force for four Ukrainian products – wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower – transit deliveries continue.

But he said he and his colleagues would also discuss an option under which countries could individually ask the EU to add other goods to the list of Ukrainian goods whose imports could be banned.

“We are going to Warsaw to strengthen the cooperation of the five countries and sign a declaration or an agreement where we will ask the EU to extend the ban beyond September 15,” Nagy told Reuters.

He noted that corn and sunflower have not yet been harvested in Hungary, but Ukrainian grain is still in warehouses. Previous blockades have left millions of tons of grain stranded in the five countries, causing prices to fall and affecting local farmers.

The minister noted that the position of the majority of the five members is for the ban to remain in force until December 31, which Hungary also supports.

Poland and Hungary want the EU to bear part of the costs associated with the transit of Ukrainian wheat

“It is obvious that Ukraine, considering its size, everything it produces and exports to Europe, disrupts the market. The situation is the same with chicken meat, eggs, honey,” Nagy said.

“For now, four products will remain, we are trying to keep the ban on these four products, and there will probably be an agreement where countries, individually, will be able to ask the EU to impose a ban on additional products, that’s what we will talk about,” Nagy said.

Accusing Russia of using grain as “ammunition”, Polish Agriculture Minister Robert Telus said on Tuesday that Warsaw was ready to improve transit through Poland, but the EU should help with infrastructure.

Nagy, for his part, said that transporting grain by land is expensive and suggested that the EU offer Ukraine or shipping companies a progressive subsidy to pay the transit fee, which would allow grain to be transported to alternative ports but avoid burdening European markets.

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