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According to him, this will be affected by the sanctions announced by the United States against Belarus on Monday, including Belaruskalij.
According to the minister, about a third of the cargo traveling through the Lithuanian railways and through the port of Klaipeda is a fertilizer that is subject to sanctions.
“On the one hand, we can say that sanctions are applied to US entities, but we know from practice that banks will not accept payments for services rendered in Lithuania in euros, not just in dollars. The companies, if there is a sanctioned entity, refuse to have a commercial relationship with it, avoiding risks, and I can firmly say that as of December, when the sanctions come into force, the fertilizers will stop circulating in Lithuania “, said the Minister to Knowledge Radio. Thursday.
He also said that cargo flows will decrease in December, as many companies want to prepare immediately and avoid risks and inconveniences that may arise in the future.
“A simple example is the financial channel, if the railroads transport fertilizers, but the colonist banks do not allow these services, it will not travel for that reason. Businesses will not take risks in this place, “said M. Skuodis.
According to him, about 10% of Belarusian fertilizers are transported through Lithuania to the European Union, with the rest traveling to China, India, Brazil and other countries. According to M. Skuodis, after the imposition of sanctions, the price of potash fertilizers will increase by 80 euros per tonne.
However, he emphasized the need to consider the situation holistically and not count losses alone.
“We have an emergency situation at the border that is being managed but that generates many difficult situations for officials and for everyone. To trade with the regime that fraudulently sends people to the European Union through the Lithuanian border, but if we distance ourselves from it and observe the fact that there will be an impact, we design it, ”said M. Skuodis.
Commenting on the Lietuvos Geležinkeliai situation, the Minister said that it is important for the company to maintain the infrastructure, therefore, as freight decreases, its maintenance costs increase. According to him, in order not to increase the tariffs, the support of the Government may be necessary, but it will depend on how the Lithuanian Railways compensate for the losses.
“Naturally, the more shipments, the more maintenance costs are distributed evenly among all entities, since all those costs are relatively lower. If there is a shock, when many shipments stop very quickly and if they are not compensated by another load, then the infrastructure costs increase ”, said the Minister.
According to M. Skuodis, freight transport within Lithuania should be increased by shifting the load from trucks to the rails, in addition, the flow of goods to the West should be increased.
“We have already started to commercially transport semi-trailers and containers to the Kaunas intermodal terminal, which is what is transported by trucks today. We hear that there is a shortage of workers, trucks are not as eco-friendly a vehicle as a railroad, where you can stack a lot on a train and there is the possibility to make up for the losses, ”said M. Skuodis.
The European Union (EU) also introduced sanctions on Belarusian fertilizer exports in late June, but they actually only cover about 20%. fertilizers that travel through Lithuania and is valid only for contracts concluded after June 25.
The Lietuvos Geležinkeliai company, which transports Belaruskalij products through Lithuania, will lose around LTL 20 million due to these sanctions alone. Igoris Udovickis, a shareholder of the company Bulk Cargo Terminal (BKT), which handles them in the port of Klaipeda, previously told BNS that the company’s cargo is not subject to sanctions, so he hopes to maintain the main volume of cargo.
The United States announced new sanctions on Belarus on Monday to mark the first anniversary of the opposition and the western presidential elections in Belarus in 2020.
A report from the Treasury Department states that 23 individuals and 21 legal entities, including Belaruskalij, are included in the sanctions list.
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