The Chamber of Agriculture draws attention to the consumption of domestic fish

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They pointed out that almost 40 percent of the domestic fish production ends up on the table at this time. The professional organizations called Hungary’s situation fortunate because it can provide consumers with excellent quality freshwater fish. It was recalled that according to the data of the Institute of Agricultural Economics (AKI), in 2021, fish consumption per person was 6.52 kilograms, which is an increase of 0.15 kilograms compared to 2020. The aim is to make as many domestic fish as possible – they emphasized in the announcement. According to the information, the volume of Hungarian fish production last year was 21,184 tons, more than 80 percent of which was concentrated in three regions, the Northern Great Plain, the Southern Transdanubia and the Southern Great Plain. Economically, the most important domestic fish species is still the carp, which accounted for 83.2 percent of the production of fish meat for consumption in lake farms in 2021.

Lake farms account for the majority of domestic fish production

Their operating area was 25,937 hectares last year; the area is decreasing because the low rainfall weather of recent years is not favorable for fish production. The amount of fish produced in precision systems was 5,672 tons in 2021, 7 percent more than the previous year, and an increasing trend is expected to be experienced in 2022 as well. The second largest freshwater fish species produced in Hungary is the African catfish, Hungary produces the most African catfish in the European Union, 5,298 tons last year. In the announcement, it was also indicated that the pond farms play an active role in the supply of fish to the natural waters, the released fish are propagated and raised by the fish farmers until they reach the appropriate size.

The domestic fishing market has strengthened in recent years

In Hungary, there are 166,446 hectares of water area managed for fishing purposes, of which 134,500 hectares belong to the MOHOSZ organizational system. Continuous installation is important for sustainability, because there are more than 740,000 registered fishermen in Hungary. Last year, the stocking of fish for fishing purposes was nearly 5,000 tons, a significant part of which was carp. According to the professional organizations, after the coronavirus this year, the dry weather and rising prices will affect the sector, the price of fuel, feed and energy has risen significantly.

From the point of view of lake farm fish production, the sector may close a very bad year

Due to the cold, low-precipitation spring following the mild winter, and the prolonged summer drought, it is increasingly difficult to produce fish in pond farming conditions. The protracted drought has caused unprecedented damage to fish ponds across the country, it was pointed out in the announcement. A critical situation arose in the Transdanubian fish ponds with valley closure dams because, in the absence of nearby rivers and canals with a larger and reliable yield, the water supply to the lakes could only be ensured by capturing the precipitation falling in the catchment area. According to AKI data, there was already a 15 percent drop in production in Transdanubia last year due to the water shortage, according to this year’s experience and forecasts, this year the drop could be as much as 30 percent compared to 2020, they wrote.

MTI