István Nagy, Minister of Agriculture, has confirmed that Hungary aims to further intensify relations with Japan in the agrarian sector.
After meeting Japanese ambassador Masato Otaka on Monday, Minister Nagy said there were opportunities for cooperation in numerous areas, including the exchange of technological know-how and foreign trading. He highlighted the potential for economic cooperation in pork, poultry, duck, honey and medical food, the ministry added. The talks also covered the security of food supplies and Nagy said Hungary’s agriculture and food industry had the capacity to supply more than 20 million people. Hungary’s food industry is undergoing a renewal and instead of base materials, the country wants to export processed good-quality food products. Resources allocated for investment and technology modernisation have been tripled, and Japanese investors are welcome to participate in the process, he added. Hungary has one of the largest gene banks in Europe and there is significant economic potential in indigenous Hungarian species, he said. Wine-making is a priority area for Hungary and the aim is to be able to present high-quality products to an increasingly large audience, he added. Hungary continues to support the discontinuation of sanctions against Japanese food products in the European Union resulting from the Fukushima nuclear disaster, Nagy said.