The German and Hungarian agricultural economies are linked by a thousand threads

(Photo: István Fekete)

The head of the ministry emphasized that a very important and serious economic cooperation has been established between our country and Germany, which we want to develop further. The minister reminded that in 2022, both agricultural exports and imports of products from Germany reached a record turnover. What direction Germany is heading in is extremely important for our country. He emphasized that a new chapter is beginning with regard to the Common Agricultural Policy and that we have development directions and plans that are also important for Berlin. Our country made a historic decision by raising the national co-financing to 80% in relation to the CAP. We want to build food processing plants, meat processors, warehouses, dryers, and cold stores. Therefore, it is extremely important that the cooperation is excellent, because along this line economic partnerships can also develop between the two countries. We want to rely on Germany in terms of technological developments and precision tools, added István Nagy.

He explained that sustainable agriculture is a vital issue for us as well, but we also have to keep the interests of farmers in mind

Hungary agrees with the European Union’s initiative to reduce the use of pesticides, but its extent must be examined. When our country joined the EU, it already moderated emissions and even now there are member states where we use a third as much. A uniform 50% reduction would thus put Hungarian farmers at a competitive disadvantage. We are committed to the protection of nature, but at the same time we also want to protect the competitiveness of producers – emphasized István Nagy. The minister said that a dialogue should also be held to ensure that all food arriving in Europe is subject to the same requirements as those imposed by the Union on members of the community. István Nagy also addressed the situation of the European pork market and called it gratifying that the German leadership is paying special attention to this area. Our country is 80% self-sufficient in pork, but at the same time we import and export raw materials.

AM