Diverse calls for proposals help farmers

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 02. 28. 11:19

The Hungarian agriculture sector is in a very intensive tendering period, as a total of 73 tenders are helping farmers, including those announced last year and those coming out this year – the State Secretary for Agriculture and Rural Development of the Ministry of Agriculture drew attention at the 2025 II. professional event of the Dél-Balaton Zrt. and the Délnyugat-Balatoni Gazdakör in Balatonszentgyörgy.

Zsolt Feldman considers every step taken by farmers that contributes to the adaptation of their own farms to the changed climatic conditions to be of particular importance, whether it is changing soil cultivation practices in order to better maintain soil moisture, creating forest belts for a better microclimate, or even establishing irrigation. The start of this year’s farming year is not easy either, as according to agro-meteorological data, the vast majority of the country has an average water deficit of 40-60 mm only in the upper 100 cm of the soil. The government is also helping producers in this area, and the supporting support schemes and resources are available to farmers. Of the total budget of the second pillar of the Common Agricultural Policy Strategic Plan, almost 2,900 billion forints, 2,300 billion forints are national co-financing and 600 billion forints are EU funds.

By mid-February, 32 calls for proposals had been issued from the rural development framework, totaling 1,260 billion forints. This year, 40 calls for proposals are expected to be announced, which are diverse: from a scheme to support the precision transition of agricultural farms, through the development of agro-forestry systems, to the development of crop drying and cleaning capacities of arable crop growers. The tender scheme to support young farmers will arrive in 2025 with a budget of 79 billion forints. In addition, the supporting decisions that 20 thousand farmers are waiting for in the Agri-Environmental Management Program will be made at the end of April-beginning of May, he informed.

In his presentation, the State Secretary explained that there was a significant over-application for the investment tender schemes that have been closed so far and are now under review, with businesses submitting a request for support that was nearly four times higher than the announced budget amounts. There was a huge need for development in the areas of animal husbandry and food processing in particular.