Lithuania Extends Ban on Agricultural Imports from Belarus

Lithuania has extended the sanctions on Belarusian and Russian agricultural products. This news was reported by BELTA, citing Baltnews.

The Lithuanian Seimas' Committee on Rural Affairs approved the extension of the ban on the import of Belarusian and Russian agricultural and food products for another year, until May 2, 2026. In 2024, the Lithuanian Parliament passed a bill prohibiting the import of agricultural products and feed from Belarus and Russia for a year, starting from June 3, 2024.

Lithuanian media reports that the amendment to the law establishing these restrictive measures, which extends the sanctions, received support from members of the ruling "Zara Nemana" party as well as deputies from the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union, who abstained from voting during the amendment's presentation at the plenary session of the Seimas.

Telegraf.news notes that earlier, a number of Lithuanian deputies expressed their disagreement with the ban on importing agricultural products and feed from Belarus and Russia. They argued that these restrictions are costing the country hundreds of millions of euros in lost revenue.

Meanwhile, as Baltnews highlights, milk prices in Lithuania rose by 30.3% in February 2025 compared to February 2024. According to Irma Jankauskene, a representative of the Agricultural Data Center, this upward trend in prices is likely to continue in the near future. Pyotras Čepkauskas, head of the food department at the Pricer portal, acknowledged that Lithuania's dairy industry is "sliding downward." He noted that the cost of milk raw materials in the Baltic republic is among the highest in Europe and pointed out a significant decline in dairy production in the country since 1991.