"Hungarian foods of exceptional quality are highly competitive in Russia" – said Minister for Rural Development Sándor Fazekas, rounding up his experiences on the first day of his visit to Moscow.

The Head of the Ministry is in Moscow for one of Europe's most important Agricultural trade fairs, the Prodexpo, and is also holding meetings with his Russian counterparts.

Sándor Fazekas described Hungarian-Russian relations as being very important, and stated that cooperation in a wide range of fields were extremely successful. He accentuated the importance of food exports, saying that the figure of 230 million Euros of Hungarian exports to Russia in 2010 speaks for itself. Exports to Hungary during this period were minimal. Final figures for 2011 are not yet available, but an export increase of ten percent is expected.

The Minister of Rural Development drew attention to the fact that the Russian market is a dependable partner, but is also extremely demanding, with stringent food surveillance. For this reason, Hungary is primarily able to import its so-called "premium products", Hungarian foods of exceptional quality, to Russia, even in the current, extremely competitive market conditions. We are also very competitive in terms of quantity.

"Hungarian foods hold a great respect and prestige in Russia, and this is an opportunity we must seize" – said Sándor Fazekas, summing up his experiences.

Of the 2200 companies exhibiting their wares at the large-scale Moscow trade fair, which runs until February 17, thirteen Hungarian companies are also taking part. These include several well-known wineries and wane producers, as well as Merian Foods and Fit-Food Ltd., who distribute goose liver products.


"In view of the fact that hundreds of companies export to Russia, it is important that were be present at the highest level. This is part of the active agricultural diplomacy that we conduct here also. The whole world is standing in line in Moscow at the Ministry of Agriculture, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the President, and the Prime Minister. If we surrender our place in the queue to someone else, someone else will take our place. This is the task faced by Hungarian agricultural diplomacy. We must be present and available to discuss issues and negate administrative barriers." – stressed the Minister for Rural Development, who was accompanied to his Moscow meetings by State Secretary for Food Chain Control Supervision and Agricultural Administration.

On Tuesday, Sándor Fazekas held a meeting with Russian Deputy Minister of Agriculture Aleksandr Solovjov, which was also attended by Aleksey Saurin, Deputy Director of the Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance, the Rosselkhoznadzor.

The Minister announced that although talks are still underway, it seems that the way will be opened for the export of Hungarian mutton and goat meat to Russia. This sector is experiencing difficulties at present, and requires new export markets. Various animal health and food safety regulations need to be reviewed, but the Russian party is also very optimistic with regard to this opportunity.

Animal husbandry is also a very important element in Hungarian-Russian agricultural cooperation. The Ministry strives to bring partners together. The success of this policy is evident in view of the fact that the volume of Hungarian-Russian commerce is increasing by 10-20 percent each year – said Sándor Fazekas.

Discussions with our Russian partners touched on several issues, including opportunities for cooperation in exchanging technology within the fields of water management, water purification and irrigation. In addition to the agricultural seed market, there are also opportunities for the export of tree saplings. Ornamental plants are the prime exports to Russia within this sector. Hungarian expert knowledge in the fields of horticulture, garden and park design, and forest planting may also be validated in Russia.

In the view of Sándor Fazekas, the Hungarian agriculture industry and Hungarian research and development will be able to play a role in the large scale Russian agriculture development programme aimed at self-sufficiency. There are opportunities for realising proven Hungarian technologies within the modernisation of harvesting, storage, transport and drying activities. Hungarian manufacturers of food industry machinery and equipment, such as production lines for processing sweet corn, tomatoes and bell peppers, and for manufacturing dairy products, are taking part in this year's trade fair in Moscow, and are certainly competitive.

The practical application of an earlier agreement means new opportunities for cooperation between Hungarian and Russian agrarian universities. Preparations are underway for the post-gradual training of ten foreign students each at the Saint Stephen University in Gödöllő, and the Timiryazev Agricultural University in Moscow, announced the Minister of Rural Development.

Sándor Fazekas also announced that he had invited his counterpart, Russian Minister of Agriculture Yelena Skrynnik, to Hungary, and that according to plans she will be visiting the country with a delegation of Russian businessmen.

(MTI)