“The problem of water scarcity must not be remedied by promoting the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in agriculture”, Minister of Agriculture Sándor Fazekas stressed on Saturday in Berlin at the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA), the main topic of which was sustainable water management.
Following the meeting, Mr. Fazekas told Hungarian news agency MTI: During the debate he had argued that drought tolerant crops, species that adapt to climate change and plants with short growing periods should be given priority instead of GMOs, in addition to efficient water management.
At the press conference following the meeting, which was attended by 83 agriculture ministers, the host, German Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture Christian Schmidt, stressed that sustainable water management is one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century, in which agriculture has a huge responsibility in view of the fact that it has a 70 percent share of global water consumption and will have to provide food for 10 billion people by 2050. “Accordingly, we must find a solution to the problem of how to produce more food while using less water”, Mr. Schmidt added.
Director General of the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) José Graziano da Silva highlighted the fact that the water scarcity that many parts of the world are suffering from is increasing coopetition for limited resources. Water is already leading to more conflicts that demand for farmland, and climate change is further accelerating this process. The most endangered regions are in Asia and Africa, the FAO head stated.
In a statement to Hungarian news agency MTI, Mr. Fazekas pointed out that in addition to water scarcity the in some places characteristic strong fluctuations in the level of rainfall, and alternating periods of drought and flooding also represent a major challenge, but also represent a market opportunity for Hungary, which has considerable experience in cultivating drought tolerant crops and water management.
The Minister also said that Hungary is receiving wide praise for keeping its agriculture free of GMOs. During the International Green Week (IGW) agriculture and food industry expo in Berlin, of which Hungary was the guest of honour this year, the Hungarian Minister of Agriculture met with the leaders of several influential trade organisations, all of whom welcomed Hungary’s government policy, to which many environmentalists and green activists also congratulated him.
“Hungary’s world view is gaining increasing ground when it comes to GMOs”, Mr. Fazekas said, noting that at the protest march held in the centre of Berlin by 20 thousand farmers on the occasion of the IGW, every second placard said “down with GMOs”.
Berlin’s Green Week is also one of the most important forums for agricultural diplomacy, as also indicated by the fact that this year the GFFA, which was held on the ninth occasion on the sidelines of the IGW, was attended by more agriculture ministers than ever before.
On Saturday, Mr. Fazekas held talks with, amongst others, Ukrainian Minister of Agriculture Taras Kutovoy, with whom he agreed that a Hungarian-Ukrainian agricultural forum will be held in the spring. He also met with Deputy Agriculture Minister Sato Hidemichi from Japan, which will be the guest of honour at this year’s National Agriculture and Food Industry Expo and Fair (OMÉK) in Budapest, with relation to which Mr. Fazekas pointed out that Japan is Hungarian agriculture’s and the Hungarian food industry’s biggest market outside the EU.
The IGW is being organised for the 82nd time this year. 1650 exhibitors from 66 countries are taking part in the expo on an area of 118 thousand square metres. According to the organisers, 400 thousand people are expected to visit the event, which lasts until 29 January, of whom 100 thousand are trade representatives. This is the 45th time that Hungary has taken part in the IGW, and after 2010 this is the second time that it has been awarded the exclusive title of partner country.
(MTI / Ministry of Agriculture Press Office)
