Grain of adequate quantity and quality produced

(Photo: AM/Csaba Pelsőczy)

Based on the data so far, Imre Hubai believes that the nation’s bread is secured. He added that the government also tried to create more favorable conditions for farming by providing the appropriate amount of irrigation water. In this way, producers could effectively protect themselves against the harmful consequences of climate change, stabilize their yields, and ecological water replenishment mitigated warming by cooling the landscape. In the current drought, it is of paramount importance that the water resources accumulated in rivers and reservoirs continue to cover the irrigation needs of agriculture, and the government has allocated 4.7 billion forints for the most urgent measures, he said.

According to the state secretary, it is not only important because of climate change that the state takes care of water resources and water replenishment

The war in Ukraine and the increase in energy prices due to misguided EU sanctions also significantly affect the price of water services, which is why it was necessary for the government to take over the service fees from farmers to the value of 10 billion forints. This has caused serious debate in Brussels, as Hungary is the only member state that supports the free use of water in agriculture, and, outrageously, opposition parties and politicians are also opposing this measure, he said.

Imre Hubai emphasized that irrigation is the only tool farmers have against climate change

He asked producers to organize their irrigation communities if they have not already done so, because the government will provide everyone with the surface water needed for their activities. According to the State Secretary’s calculations, the added value of irrigation can reach up to 100 thousand forints per hectare, and it is in everyone’s interest that this amount of water reaches the landscape and is utilized as a climate service. The government remains ready to intervene wherever necessary to ensure the operating conditions and markets for domestic production, as well as high-quality, GMO-free, locally grown raw materials for the country’s food supply, he added.

According to the president of the National Association of Grain Growers, farmers producing winter cereals are going through a difficult period

The September flood was followed by a long-term drought, so in many places they were almost completely destroyed in October, and neither winter nor spring brought enough precipitation, the lower soil layers could not get wet. Tamás Petőházi expected a subdued harvest for this reason, and with the national average of around 5.6 tons per hectare of barley, compared to the circumstances, he believes that producers can be satisfied, and international demand has also appeared on the Hungarian market.

The winter wheat harvest is still at the beginning, so it is more difficult to estimate, in case of unfavorable weather the average may be 4.8 tons per hectare

The sown area is currently 976 thousand hectares, of which 4.5 million tons of good quality wheat can be harvested this year. The domestic demand is 2 million tons, the rest can find buyers within the EU, the site price has increased from 65 thousand forints to 70-72 thousand forints per ton in a week – he explained. The winter rapeseed sown on 144 thousand hectares can reach an average of 2.2 tons per hectare, but it is only 20 percent ready for harvest. The growing season did not go well, regardless of this, according to Tamás Petőházi, the sowing area should be increased to 200 thousand hectares, and cooperation has begun with the Ministry of Agriculture and other organizations on this. The current weather is not good for root crops, and if it stays like this, corn and sunflower producers can expect significant crop losses – said Tamás Petőházi. He noted that agricultural markets are usually not driven by local fluctuations, but by the effects of global conflicts. It is therefore difficult to estimate in the longer term, but if oil prices rise, grain prices may also be high, and moreover, an outstanding harvest is not expected either within the EU or in Ukraine.

MTI