“The OMÉK is the joint celebration of farmers and city-dwellers, and Hungary’s largest agricultural economy event, at which more exhibitors are showcasing their wares and economic achievements this year”, Minister of Agriculture Sándor Fazekas said at the official opening ceremony of the National Agriculture and Food Exhibition and Fair (OMÉK).
Mr. Fazekas highlighted the fact that the some one thousand exhibitors include 122 producers from across the border. “This creates a major opportunity for the development of fruitful relations with agricultural and food industry enterprises from their motherland”, he said.
The Minister also emphasised the fact that 50 thousand new jobs had been created in agriculture in recent years, thus proving that the sector has been successfully stabilised and put onto a growth trajectory. “It has become worthwhile to work in the agriculture sector. It may not be easy to make a living, but it is a secure living for all those who work hard”, the minister emphasised.
“The performance of Hungary’s agriculture sector is the result of the year-long value-creating efforts of over 200 thousand Hungarian farmers”, Speaker of Parliament László Kövér said at the expo’s opening ceremony. “The results were significantly affected by external factors such as the weather, the state and the market, but performance is nevertheless decisively rooted in the quality of the work performed”, he added. Mr. Kövér said that interest in the OMÉK expo is continuously increasing, with some one thousand exhibitors on who at this year’s exhibition, and the organisers expecting over 100 thousand visitors. According to the Speaker of Parliament, the source of this heightened interest is the continuingly increasing demand for healthy, GMO-free Hungarian agricultural products.
“The motto of this year’s expo is ’Treasures of the Carpathian Basin’, which indicates the importance of a reginal approach and the attention paid to both cross-border Hungarian and non-Hungarian producers within the region” he added. “This year, the guest of honour of the OMÉK expo is Japan, and the presence of the Far Eastern country is an indication of the fact that the professional attention of the expo’s organisers goes far beyond the Carpathian Basin”, Mr. Kövér said.
“Thanks to the efforts of Hungarian farmers, agriculture has become one of the driving sectors of the Hungarian national economy”, he said. “Agricultural output has been continuously increasing for the past six years, exceeding 2619 billion forints (EUR 8.4bn) last year. The sector’s value-creating capacity increased by 33.1 percent at constant prices during a period of six year, and by 55.3 percent at current prices. Arable crop production, animal husbandry and agrarian exports are all set on a growth trajectory. During the past six years the value of agricultural exports has increased by 37.5 percent and the foreign trade balance has increased by 349 percent”, Mr. Kövér explained.
“Employment within the agriculture sector also continued to increase last year, thanks to the fact that according to statistical data there are now more than 217 people employed full-time within the sector. The number of people employed in the sector has increased by 25 percent in sex years”, the Speaker of Parliament underlined.
“The Hungarian Government has also done its part in the interests of developing the sector”, Mr. Kövér highlighted. “EU funding for agriculture increased from 10.4 billion euros for the 2007-2013 programming period to 12.3 billion euros for 2014-2020. Within the field of national support, the Government launched its ‘More Jobs in Agriculture’ programme, which will provide some 30 billion forints (EUR 97 million) in additional resources every years until 2020 for Hungarian agriculture”, he pointed out, also noting that the Government had introduced the agrarian Széchenyi credit card to facilitate loan financing within the agricultural economy, with total loans exceeding 70 billion forints (EUR 226 million), 70 percent of which has been taken advantage of by primary producers and sole proprietorships. “These are just a few examples of the ways in which the Government is supporting the work of Hungarian farmers”, Mr. Kövér said.
The Speaker of parliament said it was particularly important for the Government to be able to suitably represent Hungarian interests during the development of the European Union’s post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), to guarantee the continued income security of Hungarian farmers. “A strong agriculture is not only important for the Hungarian national economy, but also guarantees the continued existence of Hungarians living within the Carpathian Basin. This is a question of national strategy, sovereignty and national security”, Mr. Kövér underlined.
Japan’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Masaaki Taniai said: “It is an honour for Japan to be the partner country of the 78th OMÉK exhibition”. The Deputy Minister pointed out that the free trade agreement between the European Union and Japan also facilitates trade between Japan and Hungary, and has enabled European markets to come closer to japan.
“Visitor’s to the Japanese pavilion at the OMÉK expo will be able to see many points of interest such as sake and wagyu beef, which they will also be able to sample”, the Deputy Minister pointed out.
(MTI / Ministry of Agriculture Press Office)
