Hungary will not ban the import of Ukrainian honey
27 March 2024 10:14
Hungary will not re-impose a ban on honey imports from Ukraine, despite the demands of honey producers. This was reported by Reuters, according to Komersant ukrainskyi 
Last year, the government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban banned imports of 24 agricultural products from Ukraine, including grain, pork, and honey.
on 19 February, he lifted the ban on honey imports, sparking protests by some 22,000 beekeepers in the country. Hungarian honey producers believe that honey from Ukraine has lowered prices and threaten to put them out of business.
Agriculture Minister István Nagy said that the unilateral import ban did not have a positive impact on the local market, as wholesale purchase prices did not increase as much as local farmers had hoped.
At the same time, it has hurt companies that packaged and exported honey to the EU.
István Nagy stressed that honey exporters need Ukrainian honey, as otherwise they will not be able to fulfil their contractual deliveries.
It is noted that most honey comes to the EU from China and Ukraine. Ukrainian imports accounted for 25% of EU honey imports in January-August 2023.
Border blockade and trade wars
on 9 February 2024, Polish farmers launched a nationwide strike and a blockade of the border with Ukraine, which is scheduled to last until the end of April. The initiator was the independent farmers’ trade union Solidarity. The main demand of the protesters is to cancel the preferential trade regime with Ukraine and to return the permit system for importing goods into Poland. According to the Polish farmers, cheap and low-quality Ukrainian products have flooded Polish and European markets and are driving Polish producers out of them.
As part of the protest, Polish farmers block truck traffic, even transit traffic, at checkpoints on the Ukrainian-Polish border, and sometimes even the movement of freight trains across the border. On several occasions, protesters have poured Ukrainian grain directly onto the ground. The Polish government has hardly reacted to these actions, has not tried to unblock the routes and generally supports the protesters’ position. Poland has imposed an embargo on Ukrainian grain and threatens to impose an embargo on all Ukrainian agricultural products.
