Minister of Agriculture István Nagy received the Republic of Turkey’s Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, India’s Minister of Water Resources, and the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran in his office on Tuesday. Topics of discussion during the course of bilateral talks with the politicians of these eastern countries included the expansion of trade opportunities and potential areas of cooperation within the field of irrigation, and possible direction for their development.

“Joint action on third markets could be an excellent opportunity for Turkey and Hungary, for instance with relation to seeds and meat products”, the Minister of Agriculture said at his meeting with Turkish Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Bekir Pakdemirli, during which he put forward a proposal for a global seed network that could cover the food requirements of developing countries in future. The parties also discussed the issue of providing financial support to local farmers and reinforcing the role of integration, in addition to which agricultural digitalisation technologies and domestic and foreign opportunities for research development were also touched upon. The two countries’ ministers also discussed opportunities and innovative solutions relating to live animals and meat products.

“Our agricultural relations with India must be revitalised”, Mr. Nagy declared. The Minister of Agriculture and India’s Minister of Water Resources Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat discussed possible cooperation within the field of irrigation. A significant increase in the area of irrigated farmland is one of the priority goals of the Hungarian government. There are excellent cooperation opportunities available with India, and accordingly the Minister suggested that Hungary would be happy to share experiences with the Indian party. Mr. Shekhawat praised Hungary’s activities within the field of food processing, and also called for the exchange of technologies and knowledge within this field. Mr. Nagy offered the assistance of the Hungarian Ministry, highlighting that Hungary regards India as an important Asian partner, with whom our goal is to boost agricultural business relations.

At his meeting with Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran Gholamali Rajabi Yazdi, the Minister of Agriculture told his negotiating partner that Hungary is a major cereals producer and one of the world’s largest exporters of agricultural seeds. In addition, it also has an excellent reputation within the field of fruit and vegetable production, and has high-quality basic ingredients and processed products, and accordingly the Ministry regards the development and expansion of trade relations as a priority. Mr. Nagy indicated that there is also Hungarian technology and expertise within the fields of mushroom production, medicinal plant production and animal feeds, which could be utilised on the Iranian market.

(Ministry of Agriculture)