Japan could open its market to Ukrainian poultry meat
Japan plans to open Asian markets to Ukrainian agricultural products, including chicken meat, the Ukrainian Agrarian Ministry reported on Telegram on June 3.
The announcement was made by Japanese Ambassador to Ukraine Matsuda Kuninori during a meeting with Ukraine’s Acting Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Taras Vysotskyi.
Ambassador Matsuda confirmed Japan’s participation in the upcoming International Conference on Ukraine’s Recovery (URC2024), scheduled for June 11-12, 2024 in Berlin. “Japan is organizing a round table on Ukrainian-Japanese cooperation in the agricultural sector,” said the ministry press release.
Read also: Russia stole billions from Ukraine’s agricultural sector – investigation opened
Acting Minister Vysotskyi expressed gratitude for Japan’s continued support and emphasized that opening Asian markets to Ukrainian agricultural products is crucial for strengthening bilateral relations and business development.
As part of related trade developments, the EU has been supporting the Ukrainian economy through autonomous trade measures since June 4, 2022. The European Commission reported that between October 2022 and October 2023, Ukrainian imports to the EU reached 24.3 billion euros ($26.2 billion), marking an increase of 300 million euros compared to 2021.
The European Commission proposed in January to extend these measures for one year for goods produced in Ukraine and Moldova, thus continuing the trade liberalization regime between these countries and the EU.
The UK also extended its temporary tariff liberalization for Ukrainian goods until early 2024, while the European Parliament approved continued duty-free trade with Ukraine until mid-2024 to to support the Ukrainian economy in the context of ongoing conflict.
The duty-free agreement covers various products, including fruits, vegetables and other agricultural products subject to specific quotas, with industrial products benefiting from zero customs duties since January 1, 2023.
On January 17, 2024, it was announced that the EU was drafting a resolution to extend duty-free trade with Ukraine until June 2025. The EU Council ratified this extension on May 13, 2025, for an additional period of 12 months. However, it also imposed restrictions on duty-free imports of certain agricultural products – poultry, eggs, sugar, oats, grains, corn and honey – based on average export volumes from the second half of 2021 to the end 2023.
Meanwhile, tensions flared at the Ukrainian-Polish border where Polish protesters initially restricted traffic on February 20, 2024, demanding an end to duty-free trade with Ukraine and closing the border to trucks. Following a national strike on March 20, 2024, protesters lifted the blockade on April 29, 2024, after revising their position earlier that month.
Read also: How Ukraine Keeps Its Agriculture Afloat During Wartime
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