An innovation forum with the latest food offering, its background and the people who create all of this

The 79th National Agriculture and Food Exhibition (OMÉK) will take place on 26-29 September. It will present the treasures and opportunities of the Hungarian countryside, which is rooted in traditions, but has already acquired innovative knowledge too. Our magazine interviewed Péter Ondré, managing director of the Agricultural Marketing Centre (AMC) about the preparations, their plans and tasks.

In what ways will the 79th OMÉK be different from former ones?

Péter Ondré
managing director
Agricultural Marketing Centre (AMC)

– OMÉK showcases the values created by Hungarians living in the Carpathian Basin and the high-quality products made by Hungarian food companies. The event is also a perfect place for strengthening relationships between producers, retailers and consumers, and for disseminating market information. We also motivate participants for using the latest technological innovation and applications.

Two years ago the Trade Day was a big success. Will the trade exhibition start with interactive solutions this year too? Will OMÉK activate exhibitors and the trade?

– Yes, the first day of the trade show will focus on exhibitors and the main issues of the agri-food sector. There will be presentations, business matchmaking events and hosted buyer programmes. In the remaining three days of OMÉK we will focus on the public.

Will the main themes of OMÉK include the most topical issues?

– The conferences and the trade exhibition will concentrate on sustainability, increasing consumer consciousness and trust, healthy and GMO foods, digitalisation in agriculture, making the agri-food sector attractive to young people, manufacturing and exporting highly processed foods, and organic and free-from foods.

Which will be the buzzwords of OMÉK?

– OMÉK places high-quality, healthy, sustainable and GMO-free foods in the centre of attention, together with professionalism, knowledge transfer, the international dimension and innovation. We will try to bring the processing industry and the technologies they use closer to the public.

 For the first time livestock and machinery will be showcased at associated events outside of Budapest. What can those visitors expect who come to Budapest?

– Yes, on 9-11 May Hódmezővásárhely and on 4-8 September Bábolna will host major farming shows. Still, there will be spectacular elements at OMÉK too, as people in Budapest are also interested in livestock farming and precision machinery.

Researching the future raises important questions in the food industry, such as limited resources (water, land), the size of the population and the quantity of food produced (artificial meat) or climate change. Can this pressure to act be turned into an advantage?

– If we want to keep Hungarian agriculture profitable in the long run, we need digitally skilled workforce. Precision farming is used more and more widely all over the world. We know that this is the example to follow for Hungary as well, but for this it isn’t enough to buy the technology: we also need more workers with the necessary skills and knowledge,.

Where can readers find more information about OMÉK?

– At the trade exhibition’s website, omek.amc.hu. My advice to companies is to join us and be exhibitors at OMÉK, because we do everything we can to turn OMÉK into a trade show that matters at Central European level. See you at Hungexpo on 26-29 September! (x)