Not just the widespread farmers' protest which is infecting Europe. The EU must face two other "invasions": that of Asian rice and that of Ukrainian sugar. Complete with Italian protests due to the negative repercussions of the massive presence of rice from Asia, and from the EPP (the same party Ursula von der Leyen) due to the massive imports of sugar from Ukraine.
Rice from Asia, an escape clause?
As for rice, Coldiretti is the spokesperson for the need to introduce a safeguard clause to stop Asian imports. Fingers pointed in particular at Cambodia with imports more than doubling - Coldiretti points out - growing by 110%. The clause would be triggered when a country's imports exceed a certain threshold, thus avoiding a possibility of jumping towards European farmers, with uncontrolled arrivals of foreign products without any type of defense.
Rice from Asia, the risk of pesticides
The application of the safeguard clause should also be accompanied by the principle of reciprocity aimed at guaranteeing consumer citizens from products with environmental and quality standards below European and Italian productions. For example, Coldiretti points out that tricyclazole, a powerful pesticide which is banned in the European Union, is used in rice fields in Asian countries.
Sugar from Ukraine, zero imports targeted
As for the Ukrainian sugar, is Peter Jahr, MEP of the EPP who in a question focuses on the zero-duty import policy and in particular the temporary suspension of tariffs and quotas for agricultural products from Ukraine in June 2022. Jahr denounces that in the financial year 2022 -23 sugar imports came close to 400 thousand tonnes "or approximately 22 times the EU's initial import quota of 20.070 tonnes per year".
The parliamentarian asks for corrections, essentially the reintroduction of "export restrictions", pointing out that in Ukraine in the new financial year 2023-2024 the cultivation of sugar beets has increased and consequently Ukraine produces much more sugar and could export 0,7 .0,8-XNUMX million tonnes of sugar exempted in the EU.
And just to make sure they don't miss anything, they join the MEP Poland. Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria in putting pressure on the EU Commission to extend the ban on purchasing corn, rapeseed, sunflower seeds and wheat below cost to avoid possible repercussions for the respective operators.
