Poland plans to purchase or lease a port in Odessa to use it for exporting Polish and European grain. Such a proposal was voiced by the deputy minister of agriculture of Poland, Michal Kolodziejczak, in an interview with Polsat News, as reported by the news portal Hromadske.
He commented on statements made by the European Commissioner for Agriculture, who claimed that strengthening trade relations between the European Union and Ukraine and the countries of the South American Countries' Union could be beneficial for Europe in case of a trade war with the USA.
According to the Polish official, one way of cooperation with Ukraine could be the acquisition or lease of coastal territory for 50 years, where Poland could build its own grain port. He believes that Odessa could be an ideal location for such a port.
“Polish and European grain will be directed to this port. In this way, we can gain access to the Black Sea, where the price of a ton of wheat is higher by 100 zlotys due to lower transport costs to African countries,” he noted.
The deputy minister added that this idea arose during negotiations on agricultural sector issues with the Ukrainian side when he noticed a lack of specifics from both sides.
He also expressed concerns about Ukraine's accession to the European Union, as “we do not know what will happen after that.” In his opinion, his proposals should be forwarded to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland as conditions and needs to protect Polish agriculture.