Hungary is providing tangible help to poorer countries in Africa so that locals can prosper in their homelands, the agriculture minister said in an interview to Tuesday’s Magyar Nemzet.
Nagy said agricultural developments in Africa would reduce hunger and migration. Emigration, however, only endangers agricultural production which provides jobs to almost three-quarters of the population, leading to even less adequate food production on the continent, he added.
He noted that Hungary does not share the view of the United Nations and various western countries that migration is a better solution to hardship around the world than providing financial and other aid.
Poor people lack food either because they cannot afford it or because they are unable to produce it due to the absence of decent technology and know-how, the minister said.
Hungary, in line with its migration policy, has formulated detailed programmes for the development of farming in African countries, Nagy noted, referring to the launch of agricultural training schemes in Africa and particularly in Uganda.
The development of African farming is a key area of the global economy and Hungary is right to join the process, Nagy said. The government strives to involve the local population in advancing developments and provides seeds, irrigation technologies and the reconstruction of food industry capacities, he added.
In the featured photo: István Nagy. Photo by Attila Kovács/MTI