“Despite the crisis, in the upcoming months Hungarian enterprises will be launching 24 investment projects at a value of 10.5 billion forints (EUR 29.8 million) in Békés County, with which they will be protecting a further 4400 workplaces”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said on Thursday in Szarvas at an event to launch the latest investment project by Gallicoop Zrt.

According to Mr. Szijjártó, the government is providing 5.1 billion forints (EUR 14.48 million) in funding towards these investment projects. He explained that 806 enterprises countrywide have committed themselves to realising 377 billion forints (EUR 1.07 billion) in investment, towards which the government is providing 169 billion forints (EUR 480 million) in funding, and with which it is protecting 143,608 workplaces. The Minister emphasised that just as in 2010, in 2020 too Hungary would like to exit the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic via the work of the Hungarian people, and not with the help of international loans, and this requires investments and job-creation on the part of Hungarian enterprises. He declared that Hungary has won the first phase of protection against the epidemic, and the time has now come for economic protection.

The Minister called Gallicoop Turkey Processing Zrt. one of the flagships of the Hungarian food industry, boasting 5.5 percent of all the poultry slaughtered in Hungary and 40 percent of all turkeys. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade pointed out that Hungary is the world’s tenth largest exporter of poultry, adding that production value within the food industry, which provides jobs for 142 thousand people, increased by 15 percent during the first six months of the year. “Szarvas-based Gallicoop Turkey Processing Zrt. will be constructing a 1.2 megawatt solar panel park using its 582-million-forint (EUR 1.65 million) investment, which will enable the company to save an annual 34-40 million forints (EUR 100-115 thousand) in electricity costs, in addition to which it will be procuring machinery with which it hopes to increase the annual production of its breaded products to 10 thousand tons”, the company’s President and CEO István Erdélyi told the press.

“The company has been awarded 282 million forints (EUR 800 thousand) in state funding, and has undertaken to preserve 1060 workplaces. Gallicoop Zrt., which boasts a 30-year history, is Hungary’s largest closed-system turkey meat producing interaction, producing 8 thousand tons of meat products and 8 thousand tons of breaded products-a-year, and processing an annual 40 thousand tons of turkey. Since 1994, the company has spent over 16 billion forints (EUR 45.4 million) on development, including on the expansion of its breading plant, the construction of cold storage units and incubators, and the establishment of a packaging centre with an investment of 1.7 billion forints (EUR 4.83 million). The company provides a living to over 2 thousand employees over the whole integration”, he continued.

“In addition to domestic sales, the company also exports an annual 13 billion forints (EUR 36.9 million) in products to practically every part of Europe, as well as to Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong. In 2019, the company realised 35.9 billion forints (EUR 102 million) in turnover and after-tax profits of 1.9 billion forints (EUR 5.4 million)”, Mr. Erdélyi told reporters. He added that export turnover has fallen drastically as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, but the company hopes its usual markets will begin to pick up again from the second half of July.

“Since the outbreak of the coronavirus epidemic, a total of 225 thousand workplaces have been protected throughout the country by the government, through its wage supplementation and employment-promoting programs, including 5512 jobs in Békés County. Some 90 enterprises from the region applied for state funding”, Member of Parliament Béla Dankó (Fidesz) pointed out.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade / MTI)