There will be enough Hungarian fish for every family’s table

(Photo: AM/Csaba Pelsőczy)

At the event held as part of the “GET IT!” campaign to promote fish consumption, István Nagy highlighted that all this is important because in Hungary, fish and fish dishes are an integral part of the festive table, and the preparation of which is also a defining part of the traditions. István Nagy said that high-quality Hungarian fish comes from the 26 thousand hectares of lake surface, and the lake farms produced 22,838 tons of fish last year, which is an increase of more than 16 percent compared to the previous year. He reminded that the players in the sector decided to “keep the fish at home” even at the expense of their exports in order to be able to satisfy domestic needs to the maximum extent. István Nagy thanked the players in the sector for this responsible thinking, emphasizing: “the secure market is the Hungarian market, the secure buyer is the Hungarian buyer”. He said that last year, more than 78 percent of the fish production for food purposes produced in pond farms was made up of food carp, the production volume of which ranged between 11-12 thousand tons in the past 5 years. The production volume of valuable predatory fish for food purposes: pike, catfish and perch exceeded 364 tons last year, which is a 30 percent increase compared to previous years. The Minister of Agriculture also reported that four Hungarian fish products: Szilvásvárad trout, Akasztó szikiponty, Balatoni hal and Szegedi tüker carp have already received European geographical indication protection, and in 2022, Balatoni hal appeared on the domestic market as an independent brand. He called it important that the certification requirements of the High Quality Food Trademark System for live fish and fresh and prepared fishery products have been completed, thus further strengthening the quality and market position of domestic fish production.

István Nagy emphasized that increasing fish consumption is important from both an economic and public health perspective

Consumption of fish meat has been proven to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, which are the leading cause of death in Hungary. And those who buy domestic fish also contribute to the survival of the aquaculture sector, which plays an important role in the employment of the rural population in many areas of the country. In order to achieve all these goals, the domestic aquaculture sector receives significant support – he added.

In January, a new, comprehensive communication and promotional campaign “GET IT!” was launched within the framework of MAHOP Plusz to promote domestic fish consumption

The development, implemented with more than 700 million forints of European Union support and domestic co-financing, aims to have as many people as possible discover the healthy, tasty and varied consumption options of fish dishes. Therefore, the central message of the campaign is that fish is healthy, delicious and trendy – explained István Nagy. Tamás Földes, Managing Director of Budapest Vásárcsarnokai Kft., said that among fish this year, carp is in the greatest demand, followed by gray and African catfish, as well as various marine fish. Nándor Puskás, President of the Hungarian Aquaculture and Fisheries Interprofessional Organization (MA-HAL), reported that a fish sales map had been published on the organization’s website. These are the points of sale where consumers can buy fresh products from domestic fish farmers. Péter Ondré, the managing director of the Agrármarketing Centrum, said that Advent is a time when fish cannot be missing from the table of Hungarians, as evidenced by the fact that almost a third of Hungarian fish is sold at this time. He believed that fish consumption needs to be promoted, because although it has increased by almost 20 percent in recent years, Hungary is still a leader in this field in the European Union. Péter Ondré told MTI: while fish consumption per capita in the EU is on average 20 kilograms per year, in Hungary it is 6.2-6.3 kilograms. He also emphasized that by choosing Hungarian fish, customers are not only buying a healthy product from the shelves of stores, but also appreciating the dedicated work of Hungarian fishermen.

MTI