Instead of pulling apart, we need to create strength and unity

Dr. István Nagy, Minister of Agriculture in Debrecen, at the 31st Farmer Expo. (Photo: AM press office)

The minister emphasized that the farmers are in a difficult situation, but hope must be forged from this difficulty, strength and unity must be created instead of division. The extraordinary weather conditions require extraordinary measures, and they don’t forget the smallest farmers either, he emphasized. István Nagy considers it an important task to restore the respectability of the farming community in Hungarian society. The head of the ministry called it unworthy that the opposition wants to make a political advantage out of the current extremely difficult situation and is misleading the citizens with fake news. Moreover, they also want to start the unity of the farming society. He explained that the alliance between the farmers and the government is solid, and the government has always stood by the Hungarian farmers.

They are reopening a very important application opportunity

The minister announced that, in order to support and expand their activities, the tender will be re-opened for small agricultural producers, in the framework of which they will provide a flat-rate subsidy of HUF 15,000 for five years. An important relief is that self-effort is not required for the application. The minister also spoke about the fact that today they can no longer farm the way their predecessors farmed, they have to change and change, they have to be open to change. He added that the solid alliance between the farmers and the government effectively supports this development. He thanked the farmers who ensure that daily bread is on the table of Hungarian families.

Support for drought victims was also discussed

In relation to the lack of rainfall and the drought, the minister also drew attention to the actions taken by the Drought Emergency Task Force. He explained that the loan repayment moratorium provides an opportunity until the end of 2023 for agricultural enterprises that need it. In addition, for agricultural drought insurance, the government is speeding up and making the insurance compensation process more flexible. In addition, the government allocated HUF 3 billion in support to finance the bulk feed transportation costs for livestock keepers struggling with supply problems due to the drought. An additional HUF 1.4 billion subsidy intended to support the increased energy costs of the state irrigation works serving irrigation is intended to mitigate the damage caused by the drought. Last but not least, producers who wish to irrigate can resubmit their requests for extraordinary water use, and the authority will automatically approve them – the head of the ministry listed. István Nagy also touched on the fact that farmers should review some of our habits related to the use of farmland in order to conserve water. Land use that promotes water retention is necessary, and choosing the right cultivation method has become a key issue. It is also necessary to think about what kind of drought-tolerant crops can be grown in such weather conditions. In this situation, farmers can confidently rely on the domestic genetic stock, the minister underlined.

AM