István Jakab: the goal is for the future generation to take their own destiny in agriculture

István Jakab said: they did not wait for the ideas from Brussels to be implemented, Hungary has already passed a law on farm transfer, which helps with generational change. The 1,700 submitted applications also indicate that the issue of generational change has indeed been steered in the right direction, not by force, but with a little help, while both the transferor and the transferee receive support – he pointed out. He indicated: in addition to the loan interest rates approaching zero, a 20-year loan repayment period should be assigned so that young people can be even more competitive after they have taken over the farm. In connection with climate change, the president mentioned that it is impossible to farm in the old way, cultivate the soil, use old seeds, and today the use of new technologies is essential. He believed that the basis of the future is water management, which is why an inter-ministerial committee was established, while the prime minister again established the operational drought protection corps, because the fields lack one-year rainfall, the Danube is providing 15-20 percent and the Tisza 25-30 percent less water than before. According to István Jakab, there is only one option: to retain the incoming water, collect it in reservoirs and use it when needed. He noted that as a result of the Water to the Landscape program, less water now leaves the country than it arrives, while the costs of the water used for irrigation are covered by the Hungarian government.

Generational change must be supported

József Viski, State Secretary responsible for agricultural and rural development support, said that there are applications to help with generational change, but many things still need to be sorted out. He said that additional funding is needed for young farmer applications, as well as farm transfer and takeover applications, because if they cannot provide this, then “in 20-25 years there will be no one to cultivate the land”. András Tibor Cseh, Secretary General of Magosz, confirmed that there are many tasks to be solved in connection with farm transfer, because currently the authorities, utility providers, insurers and banks “do not understand the essence”. The system is currently unable to handle the transfer procedure, and solving this is the most important task for the near future, as it is nothing more than “legal succession with a contract and there is no need for unnecessary rounds”. Ildikó Nagyné Legény, president of the Magosz farmer’s section, highlighted that generational change will be successful if young people are addressed and one of the most important tools for addressing them is the ability to generate income. The ability to generate income in Hungarian agriculture must be strengthened, and they are headed in the right direction, as the tax system is unique and helps producers a lot, interest subsidies are also useful, but young people can be addressed with digitalization and high-tech technologies, which can be attractive to them – she believed. She added that in addition to these, young people should also be provided with the opportunity to purchase land in addition to “land passed from father to son”. Károly Göbölyös, the president of the Young Farmers’ Association of Bács-Kiskun County, said that if only the head of the family has worked in agriculture and the family has lived off it, it is a big question whether the land can provide a livelihood for more families if more of his children choose this path. He stressed that they must also set good examples in this regard, because “if the neighbor succeeded, others will be encouraged” and then, with professional help, farm transfers can become automatic. Gábor Derdák, the president of the Young Farmers’ Association of MAGOSZ, mentioned that most people first encounter meat, vegetables and fruits on store shelves. He added that agriculture must be popularized and the work done by farmers must be shown, because this could be one of the keys to generational change, and this is what is needed to “bring in farmers from outside”, preferably young people.

MTI