The European Union last week awarded licences to import 31,500 tonnes of Ukrainian maize under a duty-free quota created this year as part of a trade deal between the EU and Kiev, official data showed on Thursday. This was the first award so far under the maize quota, which was launched in April and initially allows for up to 400,000 tonnes of Ukrainian maize to be imported until October 31.
Traders had been expecting increased demand for the Ukrainian quota after the EU's main duty-free maize import quota, open to all origins, was exhausted amid talk the bloc could re-introduce tariffs on non-quota maize.
