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| Ukrainian trucks near the border with Poland in November 2023. (Source: Reuters) |
AP reported that the agreement was reached between Polish Agriculture Minister Czeslaw Siekierski and representatives of farmers in the village of Medyka, near the Ukrainian border.
Under the deal, the Polish government will provide subsidies to corn farmers, increase the supply of concessional credit and maintain agricultural taxes at 2023 levels. In return, farmers will suspend the blockade of a key border crossing with Ukraine.
Farmers from the village of Medyka joined a wave of truck drivers' protests at several Polish-Ukrainian border crossings from November 6, 2023, demanding that the European Union (EU) restore a reciprocal system, requiring Ukrainian companies to apply for licenses to operate in the bloc.
Polish farmers stopped protesting on December 24, 2023 after meeting with Agriculture Minister Czeslaw Siekierski, but then resumed protesting on January 4 to demand a formal agreement.
With Ukraine's Black Sea ports - a key export route - virtually blocked due to the conflict with Russia, Ukrainian businesses have had to rely on roads and railways to reroute their imports and exports.
Ukraine's Ministry of Infrastructure estimates that an average of 40,000-50,000 trucks cross the border with Poland every month through the eight existing border crossings, twice as many as before the conflict.
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