A new kosher slaughterhouse and poultry processing plant has been built in the Csongrád County town of Csengele with a greenfield investment of some 2.8 million forints (EUR 9M); the new facility was officially inaugurated on Wednesday.
At the inauguration ceremony, Minister of Agriculture Sándor Fazekas said that the new plant, which will be creating 80-100 new jobs in its first phase, is one of the most significant investments for Hungary’s waterfowl sector. The project by Quality Poultry Limited (QP Ltd.), which is majority owned by the Unified Israelite Congregation of Hungary (EMIH), is in harmony with the Government’s agriculture policy, the Minister declared.
Mr. Fazekas highlighted the fact that Hungarian waterfowl products, which are based on hundreds of years of tradition, are Hungaricums, and mean much more than just foods. “The sector still provides jobs for many people today, and particularly in the Southern Great Plain region. The new plant will contribute to enabling the waterfowl industry to once again embark on a growth trajectory”, he declared.
The Minister of Agriculture told reporters that the Hungarian Export-Import Bank had provided a loan of 1.75 billion forints towards the slaughterhouse’s first phase of construction. The next phase will involve the expansion of the plant and an increase in the number of new jobs to 280, towards which the Government will be contributing funding of 15 percent.
At the event, Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of the State of Israel David Lau stressed that the plant would enable Jews throughout the world to become acquainted with the excellent quality foods produced in Hungary and to enjoy the advantages of a kosher diet, adding that the investment will be providing jobs for many local residents.
Executive Rabbi of the EMIH Slomó Köves told reporters that the plant is also a symbolic expression of the cohabitation of Hungarians and Jews, in view of the fact that no product is more Hungarian or more Jewish than fattened goose.
QP Ltd. previously informed the press that according to plan, 2400 fattened geese-a-day will be processed at the plant, thanks to which the rearing of fattened geese in Hungary, which has a long tradition, but has experienced a slump in recent years, is expected to increase by some 15 percent. The geese processed at the plant will be purchased from around the region, and primarily in Csongrád and Bács-Kiskun counties.
The new facility in Csengele will be the second plant in Hungary after the one in Jászberény to specifically cater for the production of kosher goose liver and fattened goose products.
(MTI / Ministry of Agriculture Press Office)
