The government stands by the farmers in all situations

(Photo: AM/Sándor Bódi)

Sándor Farkas said at the opening of the 33rd Farmer Expo international agricultural and food industry exhibition and fair that the resources intended for the development of Hungarian agriculture in the period of the Common Agricultural Policy (KAP) until 2027 – together with the outstanding proportion of the national budget contribution – are more helpful than ever before rural development, for farmers and food processors. Almost HUF 2,900 billion of the total resources are for the purposes of rural development, and the most important development priority is the strengthening of the resource-efficient, high-added-value agriculture and food industry, the state secretary added. To this end, they maintain a high level of support for the food industry, which is considered a strategic sector, and the related calls for tenders have already been opened with a budget of HUF 200 billion – he indicated, adding that they also support the development of livestock farms and horticultural plants. They also support production collaborations, the efficient use of irrigation water, and their primary goal is to encourage generational change, said the parliamentary state secretary.

Sándor Farkas said that Hungarian agriculture is capable of providing food for more than twenty million people by 2030-32

The specialist also mentioned that the harvesting work was substantially completed by July 24, and the country’s bread was secured. For summer-harvested crops, in addition to the domestic demand, a significant export commodity base of several million tons has been formed – emphasized Sándor Farkas, emphasizing that “the impact of the factors causing disturbances on the domestic grain market has decreased in recent months”. He added: “Ukrainian goods cannot still arrive directly to Hungary from any direction”. In his presentation, Sándor Farkas described this year’s crop results in detail, covering the grain sector as well as horticultural culture and the development of fruit and vegetable production.

At the opening of the Farmer Expo, István Jakab, the Fidesz vice-speaker of the Parliament and the president of the Association of Hungarian Farmers’ Cooperatives and Farmers’ Cooperatives (MAGOSZ), spoke appreciatively about the fact that the event in Debrecen for 33 years provides a space to learn about new ideas and technologies, which is an important aspect from the point of view of the competitiveness of Hungarian agriculture. He drew attention to the search for global connections, so that “Hungary and the European Union do not become agricultural cantons”. Tibor Szólláth, the president of the National Chamber of Agrarian Economy in Hajdú-Bihar, urged the integration of quality knowledge into the sector. According to him, you cannot live on subsidies, Hungarian agriculture must be competitive with its environment. He urged a paradigm shift in water management, “water must be kept in the Carpathian basin”, he insisted. László Papp (Fidesz-KDNP), the mayor of Debrecen, emphasized that the sector employs more than 106,000 people in the region, and 70 percent of the five thousand billion HUF sales generated there is linked to Debrecen. Zoltán Szilvássy, rector of the University of Debrecen (DE), said that their institution takes a role in the interest of the entire Hungarian agriculture. For the first time, at the Farmer Expo, they will present the technology they have developed for “site-specific pathogen eradication”, which will have an impact on animal husbandry. Fair director László Vaszkó announced at the opening of the three-day Farmer Expo that, in addition to the product presentations, farmers will be helped to get information in the framework of about a hundred lectures, forums, and round-table discussions. Almost two hundred exhibitors are waiting for those interested in the five thousand square meter fair area. At the opening of the 33rd Farmer Expo and the 19th Hortico Fruit and Vegetable Horticulture Exhibition, the fair’s awards were also presented.

MTI