Exploiting the potential of digitalization is key

(Photo: AM/Tibor Vermes)

Digitalization is of great importance in many areas, for example in preserving soil fertility, reducing the environmental impact of artificial substances applied during production, and strengthening crop safety and traceability – Sándor Farkas explained in his speech, then highlighted that increasing emphasis is also being placed on new data processing and analysis methods using artificial intelligence. These innovations can provide assistance during nutrient management or plant protection interventions.

In order to facilitate the digital transition of farmers, the Ministry of Agriculture announced the call for support for precision farming in 2021 as part of the Rural Development Program

Farmers submitted more than 2,900 applications, for a total of 212 billion forints in support. As a result of the support decisions, more than 160 billion forints have already been paid to farmers. It is encouraging that Hungarian farmers are open to using precision technologies: they submitted support requests for the purchase of more than 7,000 power and working machines suitable for site-specific cultivation. Regarding precision services, the Deputy Minister shared that farmers applied for the acquisition and analysis of satellite and near-earth remote sensing data in the largest number of cases, 1,215, while support for precision soil sampling was requested in 1,063 applications.

Sándor Farkas also drew attention to the fact that the implementation of the digitalization transition will also play a prominent role in the new Common Agricultural Policy

Two support schemes will be launched in the near future in connection with the Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System. As a continuation of the VP application, the call for proposals with a budget of HUF 100 billion will be launched again in 2025 to support the digital transition of agricultural holdings. Furthermore, during this period, the ministry will also announce cooperation support for the digital transition of small settlements. In digitalization efforts, the Ministry of Agriculture sees Hungarian vocational training institutions and universities as key partners. “We are pleased that universities are increasingly adapting their training to the challenges of the times and are also announcing new majors whose main portfolio is related to agricultural digitalization, geospatial information and other modern technologies,” added the Deputy Minister.

AM