Hungary aids Ukraine grain deliveries

Hungary is aiding the transport of Ukrainian grain by expediting legal procedures and the transfer of goods on the border, a state secretary of the interior ministry told a press conference in Eperjeske, in eastern Hungary, on Friday.

Customs and plant health procedures have been speeded up and red tape cut on Ukrainian grain transports, mainly wheat, sweetcorn and sunflower seeds, so the procedures can be completed in 1-1.5 hours, Bence Rétvári said.

Officials and the employees of national railway company MAV are working around the clock to satisfy demand for the transfer of goods into new cargo holds, Retvari said. Transfer capacity has grown five-and-a-half-fold at Záhony Port and the surrounding cargo stations recently, he said. Hungary is doing everything in its power to help in ensuring that Ukrainian grain, stranded in the country due to the war, can reach its destinations worldwide and ease the unfolding food crisis, he said. This also allows this year’s crops to be warehoused safely in Ukraine, he said.