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The Polish government has announced plans for a state-owned grain terminal at the Port of Gdansk in a bid to strengthen the country’s food security, Lloyds List reported.
Speaking at a press conference at the Baltic port, deputy infrastructure minister Arkadiusz Marchewka was quoted as saying the facility would involve an investment of €117M (US$123M).
The terminal was expected to be operational by 2026, the 3 December report said.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk was quoted as saying a new terminal was required due to the influx of grain from Ukraine since Russia invaded the country in 2022. The port handled 52% more grain in the first half of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022, when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began.
In February 2024, Polish farmers held a large protest on the Ukrainian border, calling for an import ban on grain from their Eastern neighbour, which they claimed had impacted prices.
A lack of port infrastructure meant much of the grain making its way across the Ukrainian border was staying in Poland, the BBC reported at the time of the protest.
Tusk told reporters the terminal “will not only perform commercial functions but will be a safety device in the hands of the Polish state as part of protecting Polish interests and Polish farmers”.
Gdansk already has several grain terminals in operation, but these are privately run.
Meanwhile, Polish Minister of Infrastructure Dariusz Klimcza was quoted as saying the Port of Gdansk would invest more than US$98M in developing road and rail infrastructure and building additional warehouse storage.
The new terminal is expected to enhance Poland’s grain export capabilities and provide better control over grain imports and exports, according to a 2 December Polskie Radio report.