Slovakia bans Ukrainian grain imports through 2023

Slovakia on Friday imposed a ban on grain from Ukraine after the European Commission announced that it would let existing restrictions expire.

Brussels "did not extend the import ban on four commodities from Ukraine... so the Slovak government has decided to ban their import at the national level until the end of the year," Bratislava said Friday.

The government said the ban will concern wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower seeds.

"We must prevent excessive pressure on the Slovak market in order to remain fair to domestic farmers," it added, saying it was following similar moves by Hungary and Poland.

Bratislava said it will work towards "a pan-European, systematic solution and is prepared to cancel the ban in such a case."

The conflict in Ukraine and the problems with Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea have resulted in the EU becoming a major transit route and export destination for Ukrainian grain.

In June, the EU agreed to restrict imports of grain from Ukraine to five member states seeking to protect their farmers who blamed those imports for the slump in prices on local markets.

The five member states were Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.

All five had asked for the restrictions, which expired on Friday, to be extended.