István Nagy: the government’s goal is to further strengthen the competitiveness of Hungarian agriculture and place the future of domestic agriculture on a solid foundation

(Photo: AM)

István Nagy said that if the national government remains in power after the election, they will implement one of the pivotal points of the new government program, the Great Plain program, which aims to renew the economic interests of the Great Plain. “We want a strong region, a strong agriculture made up of farmers with strong interest-assertion capabilities, which at the same time preserves its traditions and provides an answer to all future challenges,” the Minister emphasized. István Nagy said about the Hungarian agriculture and food industry, that they are now strategic pillars of the national economy, thanks to the fact that the national co-financing rate for European Union funds was increased to 80 percent.

The Minister drew attention to the fact that the government, in addition to production, also pays special attention to strengthening the processing and food industry

As he said, the higher the value added ratio in agriculture, the more highly processed products Hungarian producers produce, the better they will perform on the market, the more crisis-resistant the sector players will be, and the Hungarian countryside will be the winner. He emphasized that this is at the heart of the national government’s policy. István Nagy reminded that the government has launched numerous support programs in order to enable Hungarian enterprises to operate efficiently and competitively with the most modern technology. As an example, he mentioned that more than 78 billion forints of support was provided to enterprises in the sector in the Large Enterprise Investment Support Program, while another almost 127 billion forints was provided for food industry developments within the framework of the Investment Promotion Target. The European Union co-financing programs also played a decisive role in the development of the food industry, he added, and then explained that 1,341 support contracts were signed in the Economic Development and Innovation Operational Program between 2014 and 2025 with support of about 80 billion forints. He added that more than 1,000 food industry and 668 wine enterprises received support in the Rural Development Program, worth more than 300 billion forints.

István Nagy summed up that in the past decade, Hungary’s villages and market towns have been renewed through rural development applications

“We have given the countryside a chance for a quality life that is appropriate for the 21st century,” he said. The Minister also spoke about the fact that within the framework of the new EU investment calls, support decisions worth more than 1,160 billion forints have already been made, which amount has reached farmers through nearly 6,300 winning applications, modernizing animal husbandry, horticulture and the food industry. The Minister drew attention to the fact that the future of the Hungarian economy also depends on the conscious decisions of buyers. In his opinion, when we buy domestic products, we not only put excellent food on the table, but we also support the work and future of Hungarian farmers.

MTI