agriculture
March 08, 2010, 10:19 CET
EU regional policy investment, no charity, says commissioner
The EU's regional policy is an investment, not a charity, which is aimed at bringing the less developed regions closer to the level of the most developed, the EU's Regional Policy Commissioner told a conference of the European People's Party... [read complete entry]
March 08, 2010, 09:42 CET
Next gov't would extend moratorium on farmland purchases by foreigners
Hungary's next government will apply to the European Union for an extension of the moratorium on purchases of farmland by foreigners, chairman of Parliament's agricultural committee Sandor Font, a member of opposition Fidesz, which is tipped to win general elections... [read complete entry]
February 17, 2010, 10:32 CET
Hungarian farmgate prices drop 9.5% in 2009, terms of trade worsen 3.9%
Farmgate prices in Hungary went down 9.5 percent in 2009 as crop prices fell 12.7 percent and livestock and animal product prices dropped 4.6 percent on the previous year, the Central Statistical Office (KSH) reported on Tuesday. Farmers' terms of... [read complete entry]
February 15, 2010, 10:36 CET
Main opposition Fidesz to privatize state-owned farmland
Hungary's main opposition Fidesz plans to privatise state-owned farmland before a moratorium on land purchases by foreigners expires in 2011 in order to ensure that domestic farmers are protected, daily Nepszabadsag said on Monday. The paper, without giving a source,... [read complete entry]
February 05, 2010, 10:44 CET
Socialist says ban on land sales to foreigners should continue
Socialist party prime-minister candidate Attila Mesterhazy said on Thursday that he had asked the Hungarian government to lobby for an extension of the suspension of farmland purchases by foreigners. Mesterhazy, who is urging a three-year extension beyond May 2011, said... [read complete entry]
February 04, 2010, 09:53 CET
Brussels gives Hungary brief chance to subsidise farmers up to €15,000
The European Commission will allow Hungary to grant aid to farmers who are weighed down by the economic crisis, but only until the end of 2010, the Commission said in a statement on Wednesday. The scheme, worth about EUR 18.2m,... [read complete entry]
February 01, 2010, 10:41 CET
Hungary's farmland expected to become pricier when buyer restrictions expire
The price of farmland in Hungary is expected to shoot up in the spring of 2011 when the suspension of land purchases by foreigners expires, business daily Vilaggazdasag said on Monday. Experts told the paper that it is highly unlikely... [read complete entry]
January 14, 2010, 09:01 CET
More than 40 Hungarian companies to show at Berlin agriculture trade fair
More than 40 Hungarian companies, among them 35 farm producers, will show at Grune Woche, an international agriculture trade fair to open in Berlin on Friday, Marton Szebeni, deputy head of farm marketing agency AMC, told MTI on Tuesday. Hungary... [read complete entry]
December 14, 2009, 11:21 CET
Opposition vows to restrict land purchases by foreigners after elections
The main opposition Fidesz party - if it forms Hungary's next government - will introduce restrictions for foreign citizens wishing to buy arable land, Fidesz MEP Tamas Deutsch told reporters on Friday. The new parliament will handle it as a... [read complete entry]
November 23, 2009, 04:43 CET
Gov't pushing for relaxation of EU rules on subsidies for farmland purchases
Hungary and Latvia have requested an extension of EU rules allowing state subsidies for buyers of farmland following a decision last Friday by EU agriculture ministers to grant a request by Poland for an additional four years of subsidies. According... [read complete entry]
November 06, 2009, 11:13 CET
Dairy farmers stage gory protest against low milk prices
Dairy farmers placed 12 severed cow's heads in front of the Agriculture Ministry Thursday morning as they protested against conditions on the milk market. They also poured milk on the street. Authorities initiated legal proceedings against the organisers on charges... [read complete entry]
November 06, 2009, 10:18 CET
Hungarian farm sector seen contracting 10%-12% this year
Kopint-Tarki sees Hungary's farm sector contracting 10-12pc in 2009, the economic research institute said in its latest agriculture survey published Thursday. Farmgate prices are down about 20pc this year, said senior researcher Marton Szabo. Farmers harvested about a quarter less... [read complete entry]
October 13, 2009, 09:59 CET
MPs put up new obstacle to land purchases by foreigners
Parliament voted yesterday to make it more difficult for foreigners to purchase arable land in Hungary, by requiring potential buyers to obtain approval from agricultural authorities. The proposal had multi-party support. At present, foreigners wishing to buy arable land are... [read complete entry]
September 22, 2009, 09:53 CET
Rot spreads in Hungary's meat-processing industry
Liquidation procedures were begun at more than 100 firms in Hungary's once-prosperous meat processing industry in the first eight months of this year, writes napi.hu, based on data collected by Opten Kft. The largest such firm to be liquidated this... [read complete entry]
September 08, 2009, 11:03 CET
Supermarkets fined Ft 169m for selling produce below cost price
The number of fines issued to international supermarket chains for selling products under the procurement price is growing, as suppliers and manufacturers more often exercise their rights given to them by laws on agriculture order, writes ">napi.hu. During the first... [read complete entry]
July 10, 2009, 08:59 CET
Hungary's agriculture sector wilts from bad weather
Bad weather is expected to cut Hungary's cereal crop -- including wheat, barley, oats, rye and triticale, but not maize -- by about 30pc this year, Jozsef Vancsura, chairman of the National Association of Cereal Farmers (GOSZ), said at a... [read complete entry]
June 23, 2009, 09:13 CET
Gov't says farming to remain engine of economic growth in Hungary
Agriculture, a traditional strength of Hungary, will continue to be a key engine of growth, head of the Prime Minister's Office Csaba Molnar told an international agrarian forum in Budapest on Monday. Despite the economic and financial crisis, demand for... [read complete entry]
February 16, 2009, 09:30 CET
Agriculture Minister says accord near on curbing sales of foreign foods
Food retail chains, producers and suppliers have reached an agreement on increasing the domestic supply of goods in shops from 70% of products to 80%, a partial result of negotiations aimed at establishing a Retail Code of Conduct, Agriculture Minister... [read complete entry]
January 30, 2009, 10:07 CET
Hungary to defy European Commission call to scrap ban on GMO crops
Hungary will keep its ban on GMO (genetically modified organisms) maize imports and the planting of GMO seeds, Agriculture Ministry undersecretary Zoltán Gőgös announced.... [read complete entry]
January 19, 2009, 09:22 CET
Agriculture minister heralds major changes to farming in 2009
2009 will bring major changes to Hungary's farm industry, Jozsef Graf, the agriculture minister told MTI on Saturday.... [read complete entry]
December 01, 2008, 12:05 CET
Agriculture ministry said to be preparing draconian bill targeting hypermarkets
Hungary's farm ministry has prepared a proposal to fine supermarkets and hypermarkets up to 2 billion forints (EUR 7.7 m) if they demonstrate unfair practices against suppliers, business daily Vilaggazdasag said on Monday.... [read complete entry]
November 27, 2008, 10:57 CET
Government to guarantee loans of bankrupt meat processing company
Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany said at a press conference on Wednesday that the government would guarantee loans for the purchase of beleaguered Hungarian meat company Papai Hus, which has been under liquidation for two years.... [read complete entry]
November 24, 2008, 08:39 CET
Farmers blockade hypermarkets; demands include quota for Hungarian-made products
Livestock farmer unions held roadblocks near warehouses of several supermarket chains in Gyal, Alsonemedi and Budaors (just outside of Budapest) in the morning and early afternoon hours on Friday.... [read complete entry]
November 17, 2008, 01:03 CET
PR campaign to support beleaguered Hungarian goose liver producers
Hungary's Agricultural Marketing Centre has announced plans to support producers and distributors participating in the organization's campaign to popularize goose liver, writes marketing portal Kreatív Online. The AMC thinks the campaign is necessary to balance the effects of Hungarian goose... [read complete entry]
September 03, 2008, 01:32 CET
How many Hungarian ministers does it take to figure out the price of an apple?
The answer is one, but it takes him several weeks. But seriously (sort of): After an exhaustive round of Henry Kissinger-style "economic diplomacy" it appears that Agriculture Minister József Gráf (at left, looking vaguely like Dr. K) has "solved" the... [read complete entry]
August 01, 2008, 09:08 CET
Rule change sparks surge in new business registration in Hungary
The number of registered businesses in Hungary jumped more than 22pc in the twelve months to the end of June because of new rules requiring subsistence farmers who sell their goods at market to acquire a tax number, the Central... [read complete entry]
May 13, 2008, 11:51 CET
London analyst says agriculture may bump up Hungary's growth in 2008
The agricultural sector just may provide a welcome boon to the nation's struggling GDP growth rate. [read complete entry]
April 22, 2008, 09:56 CET
Hungarian poultry producers call for government subsidies
Hungary's poultry producers called for increased subsidies, claiming higher costs and limited pricing power. [read complete entry]