Hop and malting barley cultivation has a serious future in Hungary

(Photo: AM/Csaba Pelsőczy)

István Nagy reminded the press conference organized by Heineken Hungária Zrt. (HH) and the Ecumenical Aid Organization (ÖS) at the professional open day on hop cultivation that the cultivation of hemp was started five years ago in the southern Somogy settlement with the cooperation of the two actors and the government. The collaboration ensured work, livelihood, survival and development in Kastélyosdombó, starting from a bold idea, a “miracle” happened in the small settlement – the minister said, emphasizing that the first five years will enter the history of Hungarian hop production as a new beginning. He drew attention to the fact that the hop production in Kastélyosdombó responded to needs, just as the ministry must continuously respond to changing climatic conditions, social and economic needs. The daily work of the Ministry of Agriculture is also about finding where there is a growing area or growing region, labor force, knowledge, economic needs suitable for growing a given plant, and how these can be coordinated – he said. In connection with the hop production in Kastélyosdombó, he emphasized that after the first five-year learning period, the ministry’s goal is development and expansion, based on the experiences gained during production. He pointed out that there is a serious demand for Hungarian hops, and Hungarian breweries are able to buy up the crop in large quantities. He encouraged Hungarian farmers to boldly embark on hemp cultivation, as the ministry supports the establishment of each new plantation with six million forints and is also committed to supporting developments. He said that with the 120-130 thousand tons of malting barley produced annually, Hungarian agriculture is already well on its way to satisfying the entire malting barley demand of breweries.

Aid organization created jobs

László Lehel, president and director of ÖS, said: the lesson of the first five years of hop cultivation in Kaszélyosdombó is that aid organizations do have the task of creating jobs, as this activity is supported by the state, economic actors and society. He expressed his hope that they will be able to expand production even further in the future, which will also be due to the fact that the people of Kastélyosdombó have mastered the practices that large German producers have been using for decades in a few years. Nikos Zois, CEO of HH, said that hop production in Somogy not only has a significant impact on the region’s economy, but also fits into Heineken’s strategic goals such as preserving traditions, supporting local labor and ensuring high quality. The CEO highlighted that Heineken’s Sopron brewery processes barley produced entirely in Hungary, and that they use Hungarian cherries for their sour cherry beer, just as hops produced in Kastélyosdombó also go into Sopron beer, because their company is committed to supporting local products and labor.

Hungarian hop production celebrated

On Thursday, a professional day was organized – with the participation of Hungarian craft breweries, among others – in the small settlement of Kastélyosdombó in southern Somogy on the occasion of the resumption of hop production in Hungary five years ago, with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture, as a joint program of the Hungarian Agricultural and Forestry Associations. At the professional day, participants were able to gain an insight into the life of the model farm, so they could see the hop processing system, the hop plantation and the hop dryer, and they could also listen to lectures and take part in a beer tasting.

MTI