Hungarian agriculture ministry: Hungary corn farmers to get HUF 6 bn in EU compensation for Ukraine grain glut

Hungary has managed to secure 6 billion forints (EUR 15.8m) in compensation for corn farmers from Brussels for the impact of grain imports from Ukraine, the agriculture ministry said on Wednesday.

Hungarian farmers received HUF 5.9 billion in compensation for their losses as a consequence of EU measures affecting Ukrainian farm products last year, the ministry said in a statement. The European Commission compensated Hungary with EUR 15.9 million in response to pressure from the member states affected, it added.

It said the flood of Ukrainian farm products into Europe as a result of the protracted war between Russia and Ukraine and the “ill-advised” sanctions imposed by the EU had put farmers in neighbouring EU countries in “an extremely difficult situation”. In the absence of steps taken by the EU, Hungary was forced to impose a national ban on the import of Ukrainian farm products, it noted.