On March 3, in Warsaw, the Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Mykola Solskyi, Deputy Minister Taras Dmytrasevich and the Minister's adviser Mykhailo Sokolov held a meeting with the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland Henryk Kowalczyk. 

As a result of the meeting, agreements were reached, which are set out in a joint statement:

• In order to improve and organize the transit of Ukrainian grain and oil crops through the territory of Poland, from March 8, 2023, official seals (customs seals) will be mandatorily applied to motor vehicles at customs checkpoints located at Polish-Ukrainian border crossings.
• In the case of railway transportation, the carrier will be obliged to put seals on each wagon. These seals will be controlled by employees of the National Fiscal Administration at the Polish-Ukrainian border crossings.
• Official seals will be removed by employees of the National Fiscal Administration in three Polish seaports (Gdansk, Gdynia, Swinoujscie).
• In case of transit of goods to other EU member states, official seals will be removed at authorized storage points located in these countries. At the same time, the record of the cargo's arrival at the declared place to remove the seals will be available through the NCTS system.
• In case of transit to ports or other EU member states, provided official seals are used, the Polish Veterinary Inspection will not conduct any checks.
• If discrepancies occurs between the declared and actual place of unloading of the goods, the Ukrainian side will suspend the forwarders who made such discrepancies from further transport operations.

To remind you, since February 16, 2023, the Ukrainian grain export at the border with Poland has been slowed down due to intensified veterinary and phytosanitary control. As a result, the time for cargo inspection has increased, leading to significant queues.

According to Ukrainian agrarians, including members of the Ukrainian Agri Council, this created insurmountable obstacles for Ukrainian exporters, which in turn affects both the agricultural sector of Ukraine and the economy of the state as a whole, which is a critically important issue for the country amid war.

The participants of the Ukrainian Agri Council emphasized the importance of restoring the previous procedure of selective control of grain transported across the Ukrainian-Polish border by rail and road transport.

We expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine and the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland for constructive negotiations and the result of the meeting, which showed the necessary support for Ukraine at a time when our state needs it most.