K&H cooperates with the Sheep and Goat Sector Interprofessional Organization

Based on the agreement, the bank strengthens its commitment to supporting sustainable and innovative agricultural projects. As a community-building player in Hungarian agriculture, they are constantly looking for opportunities that can give new impetus to the sustainable development of agriculture, and they are working with interest groups to ensure that livestock farmers meet environmental and market challenges – the announcement reads. They explained that through continuous development, the sheep and goat sector offers new opportunities to Hungarian farmers, and its importance in the European market is also increasing. Its role is also important from an environmental perspective, as proper management of livestock helps preserve biodiversity, especially through traditional landscape use and the protection of animal breeds, they added.

K&H’s market share in agricultural financing is almost 25 percent, and in the food industry 17 percent – the bank said in response to MTI’s question

According to the interest group, there are 7-8 thousand sheep and goat farms in Hungary, including individual farmers. According to the latest data from the Central Statistical Office, on June 1, 2024, the domestic sheep population was 917.9 thousand, the number of ewes was 696 thousand, and the number of registered ewes was approximately 30 thousand. The annual commodity base is 5-600 thousand animals, 95 percent of which is exported abroad, mainly to Italy, but there is also significant export to Germany, Austria and the Arabian Peninsula. More than 90 percent of exports are live animals. Members of the Sheep and Goat Sectoral Interprofessional Organization kept about 500,000 ewes last year. More than 60 percent of sheep and goat farmers, 80 percent of traders, and 90 percent of processors are members of the interprofessional organization, they said.

MTI