Ornamental horticulture will continue to be a stable and prominent product field in the future

(Photo: AM/Vernes Tibor)

The deputy minister emphasized that the basis of green space management operating with an ecological approach is domestic nursery production. Last year, there were 335 ornamental nurseries operating in Hungary, which farmed an area of ​​2,500 hectares: 60 percent of them in Transdanubia, 40 percent in the eastern part of the country. Ornamental nurseries provide permanent or temporary livelihood for at least 1,500 families. The sales revenue of these small businesses exceeded HUF 14 billion in 2023. The Hungarian garden and landscape engineering profession has a long tradition and is recognized worldwide. This is also necessary, as today, for example, serious real estate development is unthinkable without a garden architecture plan completed to a standard worthy of the building, underlined the deputy minister.

Vegetation has a beneficial effect on mitigating the effects of extreme weather conditions and climate change

It does all this by improving the liveability of cities by simultaneously regulating urbanization and climatic effects. The establishment of public parks, roof gardens, and green walls in our residential areas can provide a quick, specific and measurable solution to many problems of European cities, which is why the work of well-trained specialists in the sector is particularly necessary. It’s also no coincidence that green areas can significantly compensate for the carbon dioxide emissions of several agricultural sectors by increasing biodiversity and sequestering carbon, emphasized the deputy minister.

Sándor Farkas added that the government prioritizes the use of innovative solutions and raising the technical standards of plants

This is also proven by KAP’s tender resources, where calls for tenders for plant development, innovation, irrigation development and gene conservation appear. Companies involved in green space management are helped by the fact that small gardening enterprises that are not classified as agricultural producers can also receive support. He added that green space management also lies in the strongest possible cooperation and solidarity, in which the Interprofessional Organization of Hungarian Landscape Gardeners, which unites representatives of the sector, plays a significant role. Sándor Farkas also drew attention to the fact that the ornamental horticultural sector, which provides a living for more than 100,000 families and shows annual sales of about HUF 470 billion, can count on the government’s help in the future.

AM