Baltic States tighten checks to prevent Russian-Stolen grain from occupied Ukraine from entering markets

The Baltic states are implementing stricter measures to prevent the entry of Russian-stolen grain from occupied Ukraine into their markets. According to Ukrinform, citing the Ukrainian Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food, Lithuania has already initiated a Grain Verification Scheme at the Klaipėda port. Latvia has also started practical checks since September 16, collecting and sending four grain samples to a French laboratory for testing, with two more samples planned.

Vysotskyi emphasized the importance of moving from documenting the issue to systematically verifying the origin of such products. He expressed gratitude to the Baltic states for their readiness to work on practical verification mechanisms. Ukraine is keen on expanding the practice of verifying grain origins and coordinating efforts with the Baltic states.

Additionally, discussions revolved around utilizing Baltic ports as alternative logistics routes for Ukrainian agricultural products. Ukraine could potentially export up to 20 million tonnes of grain through these ports, but requires an additional $1.5 billion to $2 billion to compensate for increased logistics costs. Ukraine has approached the European Union and other international partners for financial support to cover this gap and ensure the necessary export volumes.