AM: We treat the support of the National Council of Mountain Communities as a priority

By: STA Date: 2023. 06. 07. 09:00

The domestic grape and wine sector is of particular importance, it is the flagship of Hungarian agriculture. The Ministry of Agriculture and the National Council of Mountain Communities have an important partnership relationship, we have always been able to talk openly and honestly about the challenges and the work, said Minister of Agriculture István Nagy at the Board meeting of the National Council of Mountain Communities.

(Photo: AM/Tibor Vermes)

The head of the ministry emphasized that agriculture now has to deal with even more challenges due to the war and the failed Brussels sanctions. But even in these difficult times, the government and its department treat the provision of state support for the National Council of Mountain Communities (HNT) as a priority. The Ministry of Agriculture continues to count on the high professional work and reliability of the organization and its 28,000 Hungarian farmers, as well as the mountain judges, including in the implementation of the new wine law regulations. The one-stop administration is implemented through the IT system supervised by the HNT, with the cooperation of the mountain judges. This is a great relief for the actors of the sector, and at the same time demands responsibility from the mountain judges, underlined the minister. István Nagy also expressed his hope that the market organization measures initiated by HNT, such as interprofessional wine marketing and the provision of biological funds, will continue in the future. These two programs are a good example of how vine growers and winemakers themselves want to do something to improve their market situation, recognize the problem, develop the strategy and implement the measures, he pointed out.

The HNT elected a new presidency at the meeting

The outgoing president, Ottó Légli, led the organization since 2015, and was replaced by János Frittmann. The minister congratulated the members of the new presidency and said that the leading body of the HNT always fulfills the state tasks entrusted to it by legislation at a high level, and represents the interests of farmers in the wine regions. It forms a consensus in order to represent the unified position of the Hungarian viticulture and winemaking society towards the Ministry of Agriculture, national and EU decision-makers. Thanks to everything, Hungarian wines, wineries and winemakers are once again at the forefront of Europe, emphasized the head of the ministry.