Hungary will not renew ban on imports of Ukrainian honey despite protests - Minister
Kyiv • UNN
Hungary will not extend the ban on imports of honey from Ukraine, as the previous ban did not have a positive impact on prices in the local market and caused losses to companies exporting honey to the EU, said the country's Minister of Agriculture Istvan Nagy.
Hungary will not renew the ban on honey imports from Ukraine, despite the demands of honey producers who have been protesting, claiming that cheap honey from Ukraine is driving down prices and threatening to put them out of business, Agriculture Minister Istvan Nagy told Reuters in a commentary, UNN reports.
Context
Last year, the government of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban banned imports of 24 agricultural products from Ukraine, including grain, pork, and honey. On February 19, it lifted the ban on honey imports, which sparked protests by about 22,000 beekeepers in the country.
What they say in Budapest
Hungarian Agriculture Minister István Nagy told Reuters that the unilateral import ban did not have a positive impact on the local market, as wholesale purchase prices did not increase as much as local farmers had hoped, and at the same time it caused losses to companies that packaged and exported honey to the EU.
According to him, honey exporters need Ukrainian honey, as otherwise they will not be able to secure contract supplies.
Since the closure (ban) could no longer support the interests of Hungarian beekeepers, it had no tangible impact, we did not want to create even more problems... so we had to reopen our market
When asked whether the Hungarian government would consider reintroducing the import ban, he replied: "No, because it has no impact.
Addendum
Most of the EU's honey imports come from China and Ukraine, according to the publication. According to the European Commission, in January-August 2023, Ukrainian imports accounted for 25% of honey imports to the EU.
