Ukrainians warned of food shortages

Some products may disappear from shelves due to a Polish trucker protest, the organization’s head has cautioned

The situation on Ukraine’s border with Poland is critical and could lead to a shortage of basic food stuffs in the country, the head of the Ukrainian Agrarian Business Club has warned.

The ongoing blockade of border crossings with Ukraine by Polish truck drivers has sent EU food imports plunging, Oleg Khomenko noted, in an interview to RBK-Ukraine on Thursday.

“The situation at the border is critical, thousands of trucks are waiting in queues on both sides of the border. Because of this, the flow of products from Europe along the blocked routes has decreased many times,” he said.

According to Khomenko, Polish meat, dairy products, and eggs have been widely available in Ukrainian shops and are in high demand from consumers.

However the ongoing blocking of the border may lead to the disappearance of certain food items from the shelves, he warned. Polish and Ukrainian produce faces additional expenses because of delays in deliveries, and consumers will have to pay more for basic food stuffs, he added.

READ MORE: Ukraine counting costs of Polish border blockade

Polish truckers started blocking border crossings with Ukraine nearly three weeks ago in protest over Brussels’ suspension of EU entry permits for Ukrainian truckers. They claim the waiver has harmed their business by supporting unfair competition and driving down prices.

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