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this post was submitted on 13 Sep 2023
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Why are they embargoing Ukraine? I would figure in the very least Poland could pass the grain to the next person, considering the massive shortage
It's pandering to local farmers for electoral support. Plus, it makes the EU mad which makes Duda look strong.
Less competition for their farmers/Shortages mean higher grain prices.
So Poland and the EU are just as complicit as Russia in causing food shortages, to help farmers? Can’t they just transport it through their territory to get it somewhere else so it can at least make it out into the world, instead of getting destroyed at port by Russian attacks? I support Ukraine, but it seems like Europe and Russia are content to let Third world countries just deal with famine and starvation on their own.
To be fair here: Poland did not try to limit the amount of grain for higher prices. Quite the opposite: they directed the farmers to increase output. And just when they did as they were told, Polands leadership realized that they are a too corrupt pile of shit to follow regulations. And so instead of being only transported through the country Ukrainian grain (that in no way is fullfillig EU requirements and thus shouldn't even be allowed to be sold in Poland in the first place) is flooding the country and crashing the prize.
The farmers being angry is natural because their prize is of course reasonable (they produce to much higher standards to meet EU guidelines which costs money).
The joke here is the government who could either start prosecuting the corrupt guys at the top causing the illegal dumping of Ukraine grain into markets where existing standards should automatically restrict it... or they can ban Ukraine grain to pretend to protect their poor farmers (from their own corruption *cough* - oh, sorry. I meant from the evil EU trying to kill their market obviously...). And there are elections next month and that government is running on pure populism, propaganda and anti-EU/anti-Germany sentiments anyway (which for them is same as the EU is -as we all know- puppeteered by Germany in their attempt to build their 4th Reich - I'm paraphrasing actual comments from Polish officials here...). So it's to nobodys surprise which option they chose.
PS: As should have been obvious from my comment: No, it's never actually "Poland and the EU". It's always poor Poland vs. the EU. Polands biggest government party has exactly that one topic and needs a lot of mental gymnastics for their "of course we want to stay in the EU but the EU is trying to destroy our country at every step" rhetoric to kind of work...
I mean it's not completely wrong that Germany is one of the leading countries in the EU
I think it’s the “Fuck you, I got mind mentality” 🤷🏾
These countries aren’t traditional through-shippers of grain.
European farmers want that grain exported to other continents instead of lowering local prices.
Or in other words: European farmers want laws to be followed as they spend money to produce to EU standards and there is no way Ukrainian grain should be allowed to be sold for most applications anyway. Of course keeping corrupt shitheads at the top from violating regulations to dump Ukrainian grain into European markets is not an option for some countries... because those guys at the top do it with full knowledge of their government buddies.
Poland is Ukraine's friend only on paper. But when "friendship" starts to hurt their profits, they'll be the first to butter up Putin.
Grain is another matter, a controversial one, and unfortunately, also has to do with the elections. But you also have to understand the Polish farmers who make their living from these grain sales and suddenly their source of income has disappeared because the Polish market has been flooded with supplies from the east. I am not a supporter of this embargo, but I am aware that the issue is complex and that it cannot all be reduced to "Poland is Ukraine’s friend only on paper."
Yeah, grain is definitely a different matter, because food exports are a big part of the Ukrainian economy and this part was decimated by Putin. If they can't export their grain now, then there's no point helping Ukraine at all anymore. It's one thing to impose reasonable limitations on grain imports, but a completely different thing to completely ban it. And it doesn't matter how much volunteering you did personally. It's like making one step forward and then running a marathon backwards.
Yes, I can agree to some extent. I just want you to understand why this is not so obviously evil move of Poland. Grain export to Poland alone has not been a huge part of Ukrainian economy. To show the scale, when we compare year 2021 and 2022, the import of wheat is 168 times bigger and for corn its almost 300x. And in 2023 it was still growing. There were just no way for Polish farmers to sell their own crops
Look, I have a great solution for you, guys. Make vodka from your grain and sell it to Russia. That will deprive Putin from foreign currency and will keep their population fucked and unable to wage war.
I am responding to this so that some person less familiar with the topic does not form an incorrect opinion. The reality is that Poland has donated incredible amounts of military equipment, humanitarian aid to Ukraine, and has introduced financial and legal assistance to those who have already fled Ukraine. I don't know what your comment is aimed at, but it is simply a lie. I myself have volunteered at refugee aid stations, along with thousands of Warsaw residents, so I can confirm that Polish people are really helpful.