AM State Secretary: the Hungarian strategy of the Common Agricultural Policy strives to balance sustainability and competitiveness

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Zsolt Feldman stated at the professional conference entitled Renewable countryside, renewable agriculture 2023-2027 that Hungarian agriculture has a vision for the future and knows how it wants to achieve its goals. Sometimes difficult negotiations had to be conducted in Brussels, because the European Commission definitely wanted to tie agricultural subsidies to environmental conditions, but the government also considers the economic and social effects when developing the subsidy system, he said. In addition to sustainability aspects, for example, food security must be taken into account, and efforts must be made to ensure that the Hungarian countryside produces more flexibly and efficiently, he noted. The state secretary emphasized that, despite the different positions, the CAP negotiations defining the agricultural support system until 2027 ended with a favorable agreement from the Hungarian point of view. While uncertainty is increasing throughout Europe, and urbanization threatening the food supply is on a global scale, agriculture and the food industry have become a strategic area in Hungary. Before 2010, the leadership at that time neglected the interests of the countryside, but today the government does not just want it to be a food pantry, but also to become the engine of the Hungarian economy – he emphasized. The productivity and profitability of agriculture has improved significantly in recent years, and EU and budget funds of almost HUF 5,400 billion that can be used within the framework of the CAP represent a new, never-before-seen opportunity for the Hungarian countryside, he added.

They help farmers with resources

According to the head of the support policy department of the AM, by using the funds, the people living in the countryside can get a predictable and secure livelihood, and balanced conditions can be created in food production. For all of this, in addition to the resources, the opportunities inherent in agricultural innovations must be found, natural resources must not be abused, the farmers themselves must also meet green goals for income replacement subsidies – added Anikó Horváth, emphasizing that the Ministry of Agriculture contributes to the creation of an effective legal environment to use resources. The development of related legislation began before the adoption of the strategic plan, and the majority of them may be presented to the professional organizations this year, even this month, he said.

According to the deputy state secretary responsible for agriculture, it is also in the interests of farmers to negotiate the support conditions as soon as possible

Anikó Juhász is confident that producer-friendly implementation rules can be created based on feedback from those involved. The green requirements of the EU may seem like a condition limiting production, but they also represent an opportunity, since if the conditions are met, more support can be requested on an area basis than before. This year’s drought also proved that the fulfillment of many environmental goals, primarily water protection and water retention, is also in the interest of Hungary, and it is not necessary to stick to them just because of the EU’s expectations, he added.

MTI