There is a good chance that Hungary, which is free of BSE, will be the first to export beef to the Chinese market – stressed Endre Kardeván following a series of discussions in China. Hungary is free of Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonly known as mad-cow disease, and so China will soon give the go-ahead for the import of Hungarian beef.

In future, agricultural commerce between Hungary and China may become more efficient due to the fact that we will be working directly with the Chinese Quarantine Authority. The Authority is responsible for, among others, food import and export, food safety, and hygiene, but no direct link has been successfully forged until now. Issues are often lost for years in the labyrinth of diplomacy. 12 Hungarian firms are waiting for the chance to export their products to China – stressed the State Secretary for Food Chain Control Supervision and Agricultural Administration of the Ministry of Rural Development, who held talks with the Authority's Deputy Minister, Wei Chuan-Chung.

The agreement will also mean that the licensing procedures regarding the export of Hungarian pork products, which have been in process for quite some time, will be accelerated – added Endre Kardeván.

The interdepartmental discussions also resulted in the birth of a joint declaration regarding plans for the establishment of a science and technology centre. The two Ministries will appoint a scientific institution each to maintain official relations, to harmonise research and to provide professional advice. The potato propagation material and goose breeding projects are already underway via direct relations. As has been previously reported, thanks to positive developments in Chinese-Hungarian agricultural relations this spring, a goose hatchery and rearing project made possible with the help of goose eggs and technology from the Hortobágy Goose Breeding Co. is underway in Luan, which the Hungarian delegation visited during their official trip.

The State Secretary stressed: there are an increasing number of joint Chinese-Hungarian projects, Hungarian companies are marketing various technological systems, but for instance, Hungarian corporations are also present on the Chinese market with tree saplings, seeds for cultivation, and animal husbandry technologies.

During his visit to China, Endre Kardeván also held talks with leaders from Inner Mongolia, who showed an interest in Hungarian hot paprika, potato propagation materials, grapevines for grafting, and horse breeding technology.

(Press Office of the Ministry of Rural Development)