Rural development is impossible without subsidies

On 28 July the Hungarian Chamber of Agriculture (NAK) organised a roundtable discussion on the future of the agri-food sector at the Bálványos Summer Open University and Student Camp in Tusnádfürdő. NAK president Balázs Győrffy told: largely due to the strict EU regulations, European farmers can’t do their work profitably without receiving subsidies. He explained that the subsidies should be spent on technological development, in order to increase farmers’ competitiveness. Zsolt Miklós, NAK vice president and secretary of state at the Prime Minister’s Office stressed that agriculture is the backbone of rural life. Attila Szinay, deputy secretary of state at the Ministry of Agriculture called attention to the fact that local initiatives must be supported. //