Minister Sándor Fazekas presented the people involved in directing the activities of the new Ministry of Agriculture, his prospective Ministers of State, in Budapest on Wednesday.

István Nagy will help the work of the Ministry of Agriculture in future as Parliamentary State Secretary and Deputy Minister. Attila István Simon will be Minister of State for Public Administration. György Czerván will continue to be responsible for the field of agricultural economy. State-owned land will be the responsibility of Márton Örs Bitay. Zsolt V. Németh will be in charge of environmental affairs, agricultural development and trademarks, while Róbert Zsigó will be Minister of State for Food Chain Supervision.

The new Minister of Agriculture called the work of the previous Ministry of Rural Development, of which he was also head, successful, because production, employment and exports all increased within the sector, as did all indices related to agriculture.

Mr. Fazekas also stated that the Ministry’s portfolio would remain the same in future to all intents and purposes. The changes are minor, he added. The priority objectives of the Ministry of Agriculture, in addition to preserving values, continue to be to assure that high quality, healthy foods reach the tables of the Hungarian people and the further reinforcement of Hungarian agriculture.

Introducing his prospective Ministers of State, Mr. Fazekas said, among others, that István Nagy, who is an experienced local government expert and has been working together with the Minister in recent years to protect Hungarian farmland, would be Parliamentary State Secretary and Deputy Minister. György Czerván is a highly knowledgeable professional and will continue to be responsible for the agricultural economy.

Zsolt V. Németh will be Minister of State responsible for environmental affairs, agricultural development and Hungaricums, and is an experienced and knowledgeable state official, as proven by his successful work within the field of rural development under the previous government. Márton Örs Bitay, who will be in charge of state-owned land, had proven with his youthful zest that it is possible to move to a different approach with regard to land issues, which means a different kind of utilisation than previously.

Róbert Zsigó is new to the Ministry and will be Minister of State for Food Chain Supervision. This area is important to everyone in Hungary, but Róbert Zsigó will also be able to utilise the capabilities that he has already displayed during his work within the FIdesz parliamentary group from a communications perspective. Attila István Simon will head the field of public administration as Minister of State. He was also on the staff of the previous Ministry of Rural Development as Deputy State Secretary within the field of law and legislation. He will be able to apply this experience well in future.

Sándor Fazekas thanked the former Ministers of State who are leaving the Ministry – Parliamentary State Secretary Gyula Budai, Minister of State for Food Chain Safety Endre Kardeván, Minister of State for Environmental Affairs Zoltán Illés and Minister of State for Public Administration Géza Poprády – for their work.

(MTI)