The Hungarian Grain Association has opposed a ban on imports of agricultural products from Ukraine, as this will lead to a shortage in the Hungarian domestic market and undermine efforts to curb the highest inflation rate in the European Union, Zsofia Potsa, Secretary General of the Hungarian Grain Association, says.

"Our members are desperate and don't support any import bans, in fact we need imports," she said in an interview with Bloomberg.

According to Hungarian grain growers, after a crop failure in 2022, Hungary needs to import about 700,000 tonnes of feed corn.

"Eastern neighbor Ukraine will be the cheapest supplier," she stressed.

Potsa reminded that earlier Hungary carried out only export control of agricultural products from Ukraine.

"Now we get an import ban. It's hard to call this anything other than dilettantism," the public figure said, commenting on government decisions.

Potsa is confident that blocking export flows will put pressure on food prices in Hungary, where inflation is above 25%.

The Hungarian Grain Association represents the interests of millers, grain processors and distributors of basic food products ranging from flour and sugar to animal feed and ethanol.

Hungary has joined Poland, Slovakia and Bulgaria to impose a ban on Ukrainian grain and certain agricultural products until the end of June 2023.

While Poland's business associations are already saying that such restrictions could harm local producers.