A program targeting the renewal of neglected gardens has proved successful, with more than 140 hectares being renovated.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, since 2015, the Farm Development program has provided resources for the renewal of enclosed gardens. In the last three years, ninety subscriptions from sixty-nine municipalities gained support. The programs received 770m HUF in aid.
The parcels of land that received the work are mainly minor hobby plots which used to be used as vineyards or orchards, and have been ignored.
Some parts of these parcels, mainly in towns and cities, have been built on, while in other areas only weeds grow. According to the ministry, it would be important to preserve the value and the production potential of these territories.
The small parcels of vineyards in the mountains and the orchards in the plain are characteristic elements of the Hungarian landscape, thus protecting its value is a priority; emphasized István Nagy, minister of agriculture.
This year the cabinet decided on a separated program for the infrastructural development of enclosed gardens, in order to make the parcels accessible for farming, the minister added.
Two billion HUF was allocated for the developments. Municipalities can apply for the support as a non-refundable grant, each a maximum of ten million HUF. Altogether six hundred and eighty-eight subscriptions were submitted before the deadline, out of which one hundred and ninety-eight were admitted.
The more than three-fold oversubscription shows that there is a huge demand nationwide to renew and reuse enclosed gardens, István Nagy highlighted.