Moscow. April 24. INTERFAX.RU – Tightening controls over the import of grain from Russia and Belarus into Lithuania, introduced a month ago, has almost stopped the import of such grain into the country, but its transit to other EU markets has increased significantly, reported the State Food and Veterinary Service (SFVS) of Lithuania, which checks these loads.
“After March 18, we have seen a 95% reduction in imports from Russia and Belarus to Lithuania, but we have seen (an increase – BNS) in imports into Lithuania for import to other EU countries,” service director Audrone Mikalauskienė told BNS.
Since March 18, the GPWS checks every wagon or vehicle with grain transported from Russia and Belarus, controls the origin of the grain and, as before, determines whether grain consignments intended for the EU market contain prohibited impurities.
According to Mikalauskiene, if from January 1 to March 18, 184 consignments of grain were transported through Lithuania to the markets of Germany, Denmark, France, Belgium, the Czech Republic and other Community countries, then from March 18 to April 16 – already 317 consignments.
According to the department, until March 18, an average of 20-25 consignments of Russian or Belarusian feed were sent to Lithuania for import per day.
During the first month of tightening inspections, 38 trucks were inspected, transporting 1,068 tons of feed from Russia and Belarus. Three batches were missed, the rest are still undergoing laboratory tests. Last week, not a single batch of feed destined for the Lithuanian market was detected.
In addition, since March 18, Russian and Belarusian grain and processed products for final consumption have not been imported into Lithuania. Another six trucks carrying feed from Russia and 15 from Belarus were turned away at the border due to document discrepancies.
According to the SPVS, in the period from March 18 to April 16, 292 consignments of grain with a total weight of 18 thousand tons were imported through Lithuania from Russia and Belarus to the EU countries.
Mikalauskienė noted that just last week, 25 consignments of grain destined for the German market were transported through the Klaipeda port.
As BNS was told by the State Data Agency, in January-February, about 12.2 thousand tons of corn worth 1.95 million euros were imported from Russia to Lithuania. At the same time, in 2023, 30.12 thousand tons of Russian corn worth 7.77 million euros, 6.19 thousand tons of buckwheat, sorghum and other grain crops worth 2.76 million euros, as well as 1.53 thousand tons of Belarusian wheat and meslin (mixtures of rye and wheat – BNS) in the amount of 355.4 thousand euros.
In March, the European Commission proposed introducing maximum import tariffs for Russia on grains, oilseeds and their processed products, including wheat, corn and sunflower meal, in order to stop the entry of Russian agricultural products into the EU market. At the same time, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland and the Czech Republic called on the EC to completely ban the import of Russian and Belarusian grain into the EU.
According to the EC, in 2023, 4.8 million tons of grain worth 1.5 billion euros were imported from Russia and Belarus to the EU.
Tags: Grain transit Russia Lithuania increased sharply stricter checks
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