The “Developing Region” campaign has ended – The message of the Rural Development Program has reached millions of people

The Rural Development Programme was implemented as the second pillar of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), co-financed by the European Union and the Government of Hungary. The programme had more than 2,942 billion forints of EU and domestic funds available, of which nearly 400 thousand applications received support. The largest part of the funds was directed towards investments (63%) and area-based subsidies (33%), while the remaining 4% served other development of rural areas.

As a result of the Rural Development Program, modern greenhouses and orchards were created, local markets were renewed, more than 1,000 km of rural roads were built or modernized, and precision farming began to gain ground, which also contributes to sustainability and competitiveness.

The results of the program are impressive. To name just a few figures: more than 54 thousand agricultural investments were made, from simple machinery purchases to modern livestock farms. Approximately 1,300 food processing plants were able to develop, 3,300 developments were implemented in the field of animal husbandry, and modern vegetable and fruit production in horticulture was expanded by 6,000 hectares

– said József Viski, State Secretary responsible for agricultural and rural development support at the Ministry of Agriculture. The Rural Development Programme was not just a support system, but a set of forward-looking investments that fundamentally contributed to the livability and development of the Hungarian countryside. It is particularly important to emphasize that, given the strategic importance of the sector, the Government is ensuring the highest possible co-financing of EU agricultural subsidies, at 80 percent, both for the transitional years 2021-2022 and for the current EU budget cycle 2023-2027, which will enable us to implement the largest agricultural and food industry development programme since the change of regime,” he added.