Applications for frost damage crisis support can be submitted

(Photo: Pixabay)

The Minister said that in order for as many producers as possible to take advantage of the opportunity, the support can be applied for in addition to the damage mitigation benefit, so it is also available to farmers who have already received the advance. All grape and fruit producers who have suffered certified damage exceeding a 30 percent yield reduction will be eligible for this support. Predictability and solvency are essential for safe production, which is why the ministry is there to help farmers even in unexpected situations, the minister emphasized. According to the ministry’s statement, István Nagy pointed out that in order to mitigate the damage caused by last year’s spring frost, after consultation with sector players, the Ministry of Agriculture created the possibility of advance payment of the damage mitigation benefit available to grape and fruit producers who suffered frost damage. Thanks to this, a total of 1.45 billion forints in compensation could be received by the farmers who suffered damage in 2025, more than half a year earlier than usual. Subsequently, it was achieved that additional resources would be available from the common crisis fund for the seven affected member states, including Hungary, in connection with the spring frost damage. The application for this extraordinary support may start soon. The budget available to Hungary must be paid to producers who have suffered frost damage by April 30, 2026 – the minister explained.

István Nagy highlighted in relation to prevention that in these situations they are not building from scratch

The entire agricultural support environment is being developed in order to preserve the liquidity of producers, while a consistently planned risk management system is also being operated. This system, which has been continuously developed since 2012, contributes uniquely in Europe to the subsequent mitigation of agricultural damage due to increasingly extreme weather conditions. All of its elements, such as the agricultural damage mitigation fund, insurance support and crisis insurance, prove their usefulness in an increasingly unpredictable climate environment – he added.

MTI