AM: food sovereignty is a national security issue

(Photo: Pixabay)

Oszkár Ökrös emphasized that global food security has faced serious challenges in recent times. Epidemics and disruptions in supply chains, extreme weather events, including increasingly frequent droughts and floods, and drastic increases in energy and raw material prices due to armed conflicts have all put serious pressure on food systems. According to the Deputy Secretary of State, these challenges have made it clear that the goal of food sovereignty, i.e. the ability to be self-sufficient in terms of good-quality, affordable and available food in sufficient quantities, is no longer simply an agricultural policy aspiration, but a fundamental national security issue. He also recalled that Ukraine’s EU membership would also threaten Hungary’s food sovereignty, because significant quantities of Ukrainian agricultural products produced at lower prices and in a different regulatory environment could distort competition, crowding out domestic producers and reducing Hungary’s self-determination over food supply. According to the statement, Oszkár Ökrös highlighted that, based on this recognition, Hungary places great emphasis on strengthening resilient, flexible and sustainable food production and short supply chains. Among the measures to help adapt to climate change, he mentioned the development of a water management strategy and the support of precision irrigation technologies, as well as the support of regenerative agricultural practices that improve soil health, biodiversity and carbon sequestration.

Regarding short food supply chains, the Deputy State Secretary explained that they not only offer economic benefits

But are also effective tools for regional development through a kind of positive feedback loop, since when consumers buy local products, they directly support local farmers and food processors, who in turn spend their income in local communities. However, the use of local food should go beyond household consumption, as food services, including restaurants, school canteens and public kitchens, represent a significant market for local production. Finally, Oszkár Ökrös drew attention to the fact that agrarian societies are aging worldwide and that the demographic crisis is exacerbated by a number of other factors, such as the migration of young people to cities, or income inequalities and limited access to land, capital and labor. Hungary has therefore taken significant legislative steps to promote the generational renewal of Hungarian agriculture and introduced a simplified legal framework to facilitate intergenerational farm transfers, which significantly reduces administrative burdens and makes it easier for older farmers to transfer their farms to younger family members during their lifetime. A key element of this process is the newly introduced “economic transfer contract”, which ensures clarity, legal continuity and a smooth transition, the statement reads.

MTI