“This year’s most important task is knowledge transfer”

– What are the main strategic objectives of NAK this year?

Zsolt Papp
president
Hungarian Chamber of Agriculture (NAK)

– The most important goal is to provide information and administrative support to the farming community, Hungarian agriculture and the processing industry, and to help them with their administrative tasks. I believe that training, knowledge transfer is one of our most important tasks in 2025. With the extended village farmer network, we are now able to give professional advice or help apply for funding in grant programmes.

– How does NAK intend to strengthen professional and information support for members?

– We have published numerous professional articles, publications and digital content, and we have organised and will continue to host many professional forums and training courses. NAK will continue to offer expert advice and administrative support.

– NAK founded the free-from product working group a year ago and its objective is to support producers, shape the regulatory environment and help the market develop. What are your results and experiences so far and what are your objectives for 2025?

– Small sub-groups have been set up within the free-from working group by the advocacy and processing side. The goal is to promote these products and make them more widely known and available. Retail chains throughout the country need to be partners in this.

– What development directions do you see in the fruit and vegetable sector and how does NAK wish to support innovation by producers in this area?

– In recent years there have been a number of grant programmes, which have had a really positive impact on the sector. The area for new plantations has increased by several thousand hectares and the share of intensive plantations has grown significantly. We have also made great progress in packaging technology and storage. It is worth highlighting the appearance of a large number of post-harvest machines.

“We are currently working with three countries to prepare for the 2025-26 year, which will focus on promoting fruit and vegetable consumption and raising awareness of its positive effects.”

– What results do you expect from the fruit and vegetable promotion campaigns this year?

– Frutti and Veggi is one of our most important marketing campaigns. We are currently working with three countries to prepare for our fruit and vegetable promotion campaign in 2025-2026. NAK is working closely with FruitVeb, the Agricultural Marketing Centre and a number of organisations, to educate consumers about how important it is to eat fruit and vegetables every day.

– What research projects will you focus on in the near future?

– Events such as the AgTech Summit give younger generations the opportunity to showcase their ideas and their potential applications. It is equally important for the food industry to research solutions and innovations that contribute to both sustainability and meeting consumer needs.

– What opportunities do you see for cooperation with other organisations and the food trade in 2025?

– We believe it is key to think in partnership with secondary and higher education institutions, agricultural institutions, and to participate in dual training and research projects. NAK has many partnership agreements and new ones are regularly signed. (x)