The European Commission rejects Ukraine’s request for €220 million in non-repayable aid for farmers

The European Commission has rejected a request from Ukraine’s Ministry of Agrarian Policy to allocate €220 million in non-repayable aid to Ukrainian farmers who have suffered losses due to Russian attacks on export infrastructure in Black Sea ports.

This was reported by Evropeiska Pravda, citing European Commission spokesperson Markus Lammert.

Brussels made clear that it does not intend to allocate new funds, but is prepared to make use of existing support instruments.

“In our response, we identified areas of possible support for Ukraine’s agricultural sector using already available mechanisms,” Lammert said.

According to him, Ukraine is already receiving interest rate subsidies on loans for farmers under the Ukraine Facility program. In addition, the European Commission supports lending programs for Ukrainian banks, which in turn provide loans to farmers.

“These programs can provide assistance to farmers facing difficult liquidity situations,” Lammert said.

Ukrainian farmers are unable to sell their harvest due to the naval blockade. One of them filmed a video showing himself dumping tomatoes directly in the field because he had no way to sell them.