Austrian-Hungarian Agricultural Relations Must be Further Strengthened

Minister of Agriculture István Nagy stressed that we must adopt Austrian consumer awareness, and we can also look to Austria as an example in the field of wine marketing – the Ministry of Agriculture announced on Thursday.

Cooperation between Hungary and Austria in the field of agricultural digitization, plant breeding, and agricultural mitigation practices should be further strengthened, said István Nagy, who held talks with Austrian Federal Minister of Agriculture Norbert Totschnig in Vienna on Thursday.

The Minister said that

agricultural issues and challenges are similar between the two countries.

Agriculture has to cope with many difficulties, such as the effects of the Russo-Ukrainian war and climate change. But maintaining the ecosystem and biodiversity is a shared responsibility.

The ministry said that forestry issues were also discussed at the meeting. According to Minister Nagy,

a technical debate should be held on how and what new afforestation should be carried out to reduce the impact of climate change.

Nagy stressed that they would be very happy to share their experiences on wheat cultivation and GMO-free production. Hungary is looking for solutions to the challenges of climate change in its gene banks. They are achieving significant results by breeding old Hungarian varieties. Hungary has one of the largest gene banks in the world.

There are large state research institutes in Martonvásár, looking to tackle climate change, and in Szeged they are doing research on toxin resistance. They are ready to share their results with their Austrian partners,

he added.

Nagy stressed that we need to adopt Austrian consumer awareness, and we also look to Austria as an example in the field of wine marketing. In addition, we would like to learn from Austria’s experience in the agricultural compensation system, and that Hungary is also an important ally of Austria in the field of agricultural digitization, he maintained.

The minister took part in the Hungarian-Austrian economic roundtable discussion, where he called for the renewal of Hungarian agriculture. He noted that

today, a real competitive advantage in agriculture is achieved if farmers respond to new circumstances with the appropriate expertise, flexibility, and openness.

The politician said that investments in agriculture have increased spectacularly between 2010 and 2022, contributing to the modernization of the sector and to increasing its productivity and competitiveness.

During his visit to Austria, Nagy also held talks with Hans Peter Doskozil, head of the province of Burgenland, in Eisenstadt (Kismarton).

Via Magyar Nemzet, Featured image: Pixabay.com