Minister of Agriculture: sustainable solutions are necessary for food security

By: Trademagazin Date: 2024. 05. 15. 12:20

Hungary is committed to agricultural digitization, which promotes stability and predictability in food production. By calling on innovation and digitization, we can reduce the risk of production while increasing efficiency and competitiveness – said Minister of Agriculture István Nagy at the 34th FAO European Regional Conference, according to the ministry’s announcement on Wednesday.

Held every two years, the conference is the most important forum of the World Food Organization, which brings together European agriculture ministers and other high-ranking government representatives to discuss current agricultural and food issues.

In his speech, the minister highlighted the fundamental importance of agriculture and food systems adapting to new challenges. The negative consequences of extreme weather conditions can be prevented through the development of irrigation farming. The Hungarian regulation favors irrigation from surface water, thus reducing the excessive use of underground water resources – István Nagy was quoted as saying by the Ministry of Agriculture (AM).

The Hungarian government has developed natural water retention measures to adapt land use and cultivated plants to local environmental conditions. At the same time, it places special emphasis on improving the quality of soils, since good soil condition improves the drought tolerance of crop areas.

The head of the ministry also drew attention to the importance of food systems. He emphasized that the amount of food waste must be reduced at all levels of the food supply chain. During the Hungarian EU presidency in the second half of 2024, our country will focus on the topic, as we will organize an international conference together with the FAO regional office in the fall of 2024. An important goal is to promote cooperation between EU and non-EU countries and to present good practices, the minister added.