European Union has increased the volume of annual quotas of Ukrainian grains that can be imported duty-free into the bloc so that total import quotas would exceed 1 million tonnes per year for maize. The decision is for an additional 625,000 tonnes of maize. The new quotas are part of an agreement aimed at enhancing economic and trade relations with the former Soviet country and are applicable from Oct. 1 for three years. European Commission had made an initial proposal for an increase in the Ukrainian import quotas in October last year for slightly higher volumes. Ukraine already benefited in 2017 from annual tariff rate quotas for 450,000 tonnes of maize.