Digitization is the key to the competitiveness of agriculture

Farming using data-based and precision technologies is now inevitable for all producers who want to appear with their products and goods on global competitive markets, where prices are shaped not by Hungarian but by external market processes – said Zsolt Feldman in his opening speech at the PREGA Conference and Exhibition.

(Photo: AM/Tibor Vermes)

According to the state secretary responsible for agriculture and rural development of the Ministry of Agriculture, at the event dealing with precision farming and digitalization, which has now been organized for the ninth time, economic results in today’s conditions require a high degree of awareness, renewal capabilities, thoughtful and responsible entrepreneurial decisions are valued. In agriculture today, production and economic issues, adaptation to climate change and sustainability-related regulations must be taken into account at the same time. According to the state secretary’s assessment, PREGA has been the most useful agricultural digitalization professional forum for years, where hundreds of presentations have provided assistance in learning about the technological advantages that are essential for farmers to make their production-related decisions. As he put it, today a non-voluntary part of data-based management has developed in agriculture, as the administration related to production and the EU support system has become data-based, which can be used to verify the fulfillment of the conditions. The fulfillment of these conditions causes tension not only here, but throughout Europe.

The state secretary emphasized that perhaps agricultural farmers face the simultaneous variability and unpredictability of environmental, economic and market conditions in the most spectacular way

In order to stay afloat, a high degree of awareness is required, the ability to renew, thoughtful and responsible entrepreneurial decisions are valued. In agriculture, production and economic issues, adaptation to climate change and sustainability regulations must be taken into account at the same time. Adaptation strategies must be presented so that all farmers can see the possible alternatives. The collection and processing of information, the automation and robotization of technological operations contribute to increasing the profitability of agricultural production and making production safer.

Zsolt Feldman identified the promotion of digital transition, automation and robotization in agriculture and the food industry as one of the most important goals in relation to the agricultural and rural development tenders that will appear this year

As he said, they plan to assess the digital content of the given project as a separate chapter. The intention is that the application should be based as little as possible on future plans, basically I would like to evaluate the objective, measurable results of the project, which can be verified with the documents available in the planning or existing databases.

AM