Ukrainian Grain Is Needed – But Not in Eastern Europe
The European Union needs to compensate farmers in Eastern Europe for the flood of imports hurting prices.
A farmer inspects unsold corn grain stores on a farm in Sedziejowo, Poland, earlier this month.
Photographer: Bartek Sadowski/BloombergThe image became emblematic of the early days of the war: a Ukrainian farmer triumphally towing away a Russian tank using nothing but a tractor. Back then, Ukrainian farmers were heroes, tilling their fields under bombardment. Unable to ship their grain overseas as Vladimir Putin blocked the ports, their silos already full from the previous season and with a new harvest looming, Europe rallied behind them, opening its internal market.
It was the right decision at the time, but it was based on a faulty assumption: that the invasion would be over quickly. There was no “Plan B” for a long conflict. Eastern European nations could, at best, absorb one, maybe two, Ukrainian harvests, but not more. The region is itself a net grain exporter, and Ukraine is one of the world’s top five agricultural exporters. Surpluses of grain have piled up over surpluses, depressing prices. The situation was unsustainable. Typically, unsustainable situations don’t last. And this one hasn’t.