AM: the government is supporting the grape and wine sector with targeted subsidies

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Hubai Imre added that the grape varieties produced in the vineyards of the Somogyi hills and on approximately 3,000 hectares of the Balatonboglár wine region are competitive, and wine-producing enterprises have implemented technological development with a total cost of 6.8 billion forints in the Rural Development Program of previous years. Regarding the subsidies affecting the grape and wine sector, he said: calls for restructuring, winemaking investments, by-product distillation, and foreign and domestic market promotion have already been published within the framework of the Common Agricultural Policy, and many of these titles are open or have been re-announced this year. In the case of grape restructuring, replanting after felling for plant health reasons is also eligible, he emphasized.

This is particularly important in order to curb the golden yellow disease affecting vineyards that appeared in the fall of 2025 and to replant the affected production areas.

According to the statement, the Secretary of State explained that the government adopted a seven-element national action plan in the fall of 2025 to curb golden yellows. The program includes intensive detection of plantations affected by the infection, increasing laboratory capacities, a national pesticide protection program, and in this regard, expanding the range of available pesticides. Propagation material control is a priority task for the authorities, and infected, dangerous, abandoned plantations will be cut down in coordination with the mountain village system, he added. Speaking about new applications affecting the sector, he said: in the first quarter of 2026, support can be requested for innovation and interprofessional services, including consulting, market knowledge education, and wine tourism. Encouraging generational change is also of paramount importance in the grape and wine sector, which is why this title can be applied for this year. Depending on the size of the company, support can be requested between 4 and 20 million forints – said Hubai Imre.

MTI