Poland blocks sale of 250 tonnes of contaminated Myanmar rice

Poland has blocked the sale of 250 tonnes of rice imported from Myanmar due to pest contamination, according to an announcement by the country’s food quality body on Wednesday. The Polish Agricultural and Food Quality Inspection Authority announced on its X (Twitter) account that substantial pest residues were found in the goods in northern Poland’s historic port city of Gdańsk. The block took effect immediately following the announcement. Further details regarding the date and arrival conditions of the rice at the port were not included. It is not yet known if the block will impact other Myanmar rice exports. A senior official from the Myanmar Rice Federation (MRF), who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Myanmar Now that they are aware of the news and will issue a detailed press release on the situation in due course. According to initial information, Polish port authorities did not immediately discover the contamination upon the vessel’s arrival at the Port of Gdańsk, but rather once the rice had already begun circulating in the market, the official said. They added that the MRF was currently investigating the shipment’s departure time from Yangon Port, the duration of the sea voyage, and the time of arrival in Poland. The official said that as the rice underwent quality inspection in Myanmar before departing, the responsibility of the suppliers ended at the departure port. He added that the journey from Yangon to Europe sometimes took as long as three months depending on sea conditions, and the time spent within the distribution system needs to be re-examined. “We also don’t know how long it took for the rice to travel from their port to the city of Gdańsk, nor how long it was kept in their warehouse,” he added. At the same time, he noted reports indicating that the Polish government also blocked the sale of Ukrainian wheat and 40 tonnes of Thai jasmine rice on similar grounds. Poland is a member of the European Union, and a major buyer of Myanmar rice. According to MRF, Myanmar exported 57,899 tonnes of rice to Poland during the 2025-26 fiscal year, making it the fifth largest buyer of rice that year after China, Madagascar, the Philippines, and Spain. Total exports of Myanmar rice during the 2025-26 fiscal year exceeded 2.7 million tonnes, generating US$861 million in income, according to MRF statistics.