István Nagy: the basis of successful agricultural production is quality seed

Minister of Agriculture István Nagy explained in his celebratory speech: for the past 30 years, the members of the association have always worked to maintain seed production and provided seeds that help producers even in the midst of changing socio-economic, environmental and climatic conditions. “The seed sector is an unavoidable factor. The value produced here is of particular importance, since the long-term sustainability of domestic agricultural production can only be ensured by quality seeds and propagating materials”, emphasized István Nagy.

The head of the ministry explained: Hungary is an important seed production and trade center in the region

We belong to the forefront of the world, we are in the top ten ranking of the largest seed producing countries. In recent years, the sector has produced seeds of more than 1,600 varieties of 100 plant species on 3-4 percent of the domestic arable land, about 100-120 thousand hectares. The sector is export-oriented: we export wheat seed to Italy, Austria, Romania, Poland and Slovenia, and sunflower seed mainly to the European Union and countries outside the EU. So far, we have shipped the largest amount of corn seeds to Russia, Romania, Ukraine, Poland and France. The Russian-Ukrainian war conflict also had a significant impact on seed exports, so it is necessary to further strengthen foreign markets and increase competitiveness.

István Nagy said: the greatest challenge of the future is climate change

Breeding plays an important role, since in addition to productivity, adaptability, drought and heat tolerance are at least as important as resistance to diseases. “The Seed Association is a strategic partner of the Hungarian government. We work together to continue to provide high-quality raw materials for harvesting. Professional foundations and our daily bread cannot be endangered by fashionable ideologies. Our joint task is to find appropriate answers to social needs and challenges”, added the Minister of Agriculture. “The seed sector is one of the priority areas of agriculture, and it is closely related to the performance of agriculture in terms of both quantitative and qualitative indicators. And the thirty years of professional work and interest protection activities of the Product Council play a significant role in the fact that Hungary performs excellently in this field, even in the world,’ said Balázs Győrffy in his festive greeting. The president of the National Chamber of Agrarian Economy pointed out that, as in all fields of agriculture, many challenges have been faced in the past in the case of seed production. Last year’s historic drought caused huge damage to crop production in the field, and this also negatively affected seed production. At the same time, the drought has repeatedly highlighted the importance of domestic irrigation development and the rehabilitation of sewer systems, the development of which will be one of the biggest joint tasks in the near future. He added: there is a close professional relationship between the two organizations and the National Association of Grain Growers, which, in addition to joint variety experiments, is also reflected in keeping important issues on the agenda, such as the promotion of the use of metal-sealed seeds. On behalf of the 1,200-member Seed Association Interprofessional Organization and Product Council, President Géza Takács thanked the Ministry of Agriculture, the National Chamber of Agriculture and the Association of Grain Growers for the partnership. “Grateful thanks go to the officials of our organization and all the professionals who help the operation of the key area in one of the areas of the seed sector. Renewal and sustainability are the cornerstones of our thinking and actions, just as it was for our predecessors, but we must interpret them more and more comprehensively and use them as a compass in solving the problems of a world that is becoming more complex. “Unfortunately, the biggest challenge has arrived, climate change, which will determine not only the future, but also the steps of the professional work of the present”, emphasized Géza Takács.

At the festive event, the Minister of Agriculture, István Nagy, presented a commemorative commemorative plaque to Géza Takács, the President of the Vetőmag Association

Ladislav Moravcsik, the president of the Slovak Seed Association, thanked Géza Takács for the joint work with a certificate of appreciation. After that, Minister of Agriculture István Nagy awarded two respected personalities of the seed sector, Ferenc Salamon and Ferenc Apjok, with the Életfa Emlékplakett Gold. This year’s Vetőmag Szövetség prize was awarded to Dr. Dr. Dr. It was given to László Láng.

VSZ