The elaboration of the 30 strategic planning documents for the 2014-2020 European Union programming period has been completed by the Ministry of Rural Development and in its background institutions. The task was completed by the Ministry with the help of 140 million forints in co-financed funding awarded through the New Széchényi Plan State Reform Operative Programme.

Experts have elaborated a total of 13 strategic documents and 17 impact studies on issues relating to areas of key importance that fall within the scope of authority of the Ministry. Accordingly, strategies have been developed regarding, among others, the preservation of biodiversity, the future of the Hungarian fruit and vegetable sector, the development of the food industry, aquaculture and fish farming, rural development tasks for the period 20104-2020, conservation, the national forestry programme and opportunities for innovation in agriculture within the Carpathian Basin.

At the press conference organised to mark the completion of the project, Minister of State for Rural Development Zsolt V. Németh stressed that since 2014 is a transitional year, Hungary will have the opportunity to commit itself to projects financed from resources for the upcoming cycle, which it will be able to draw down next year and in 2015. One of the goals of the elaboration of the strategic planning documents and impact studies was also to enable the Ministry of Rural development to use the resources available for the 2014-2020 financial period in the most efficient manner possible, and while taking into account the interests of the Hungarian farming community.

On the future of the fruit and vegetable sector, the Ministry's Minister of State for Agricultural Economy György Czerván said that plans include the increasing vegetable production and fruit production by 35 and 70 percent, respectively, by 2020. Accordingly total output could be increased to 3.5 million tons from the current level of 2.5 million tons. Currently, one third of total production is fruit, and the remaining two thirds consists of vegetables. The Ministry's goal is for employment within the sector to increase parallel to increased output.

The Minister of State summarised the strategic objectives for the fruit and vegetable sector in three points. These are increasing quality commodities, improving the market power of the sector, and transparency. The debate on the Hungarian Fruit and Vegetable Sector Strategy is still ongoing and the Ministry will be accepting professional opinions for another week until 4 December, the Minister of State said.

30 percent of Hungary's territory has been preserved in sub-natural condition, which is a huge national treasure and is a very good ratio in European comparison, the Ministry's Deputy State Secretary for the Environment and Conservation András Rácz declared in his presentation. With regard to the National Conservation Plan, he emphasised the importance of preserving species and managing habitats, and the significance of conservation-based asset management.

The Deputy State Secretary also said that the Government is providing more funding than ever for the repurchasing of protected or planned protected areas. 150 thousand hectares have been returned to state ownership and the asset management of national park directorates so far, and the Government is expected to provide almost 1.6 billion forints for the purpose next year.

Mr. Rácz also drew attention to the fact that following a reduction caused by the economic crisis, last year the number of visitors to Hungary's national parks increased significantly again last year, thanks in great part to various development projects, ecotourism-related investment, programmes and new visitors' centres realised within the territories of national park directorates. The Deputy State Secretary pointed out that conservation had retained its funding position in the next EU financial period. The euro equivalent of 31.3 billion forints will be made available within the framework of the Environmental and Energy-Efficiency Operative Programme alone for species preservation and habitat reconstruction projects in Hungary, in addition to which several other programmes will also provide funding for various development projects.

Supplying the population with good quality foods and from domestic resources is an issue of national security, Deputy State Secretary for Food Chain Supervision and Agricultural Administration Lajos Bognár said, launching his presentation on Hungary's medium and long-term Food Industry Development Strategy. IN his speech, Mr. Bognár stressed that the level of self-sufficiency must be increased to 150 percent from its current level of 120 percent, which will also lead to an increase in the quantity of goods available for export by 2020. In addition, increasing domestic consumption and regaining domestic markets are also strategic goals. This will lead to an increase in employment within the food industry and in agriculture, nutrition habits that support a healthy lifestyle may become more widespread, and the environmental impact of the sector will decrease.

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The increase in the competitiveness of food processing is facilitate, among others, by the fact that EXIM Bank has launched a programme to finance exports by food industry enterprises, and a total of some 500 billion forints in funding will be available within the 2014-2020 period for technical and technological modernisation, training and professional advice, Mr. Bognár said.

With regard to the National Environmental Protection Programme, Head of the Ministry's Strategic Department József Viski said that objectives for the 2014-2020 period include improving the quality of life, protecting natural values and the efficient utilization of resources. The social debate of the Programme is complete and it will come before Parliament in the near future. The National Biodiversity Strategy has also been completed, and determines the conditions and tasks required for the preservation of Hungary's varied wildlife, stopping the decrease of biodiversity and the further erosion of ecosystem services and the improvement of their status where possible. The Strategy has been accepted by the conference of State Secretaries and accordingly, will be put before parliament on 11 December.

The documents were elaborated by several working groups and with the help of a great number of experts; 6 state secretariats and a total of 300 experts and colleagues from the Ministry's various background institutions (e.g. the Research Institute of Agricultural Economics, the Agricultural and Rural Development Agency, the National Food Chain Safety Office, the National Rural Development Training and Advisory Institute) took part in their development.

The planning of the rural development programme of the upcoming seven-year European Union financial period starting in 2014 began in 2012. In September 2012, the Ministry of Rural Development submitted an application for funding within the framework of tender 1.1.19 of the State Reform Operative Programme (ÁROP) entitled "The Elaboration of Strategies and Impact Studies", which the National Development Agency found worthy of receiving funding. The project was realised as part of the New Széchényi Plan, with the financial support of the European Union and with co-funding from the European Social Fund and the Hungarian budget.

All eight Ministries took part in the ÁROP tender and the Ministry of Rural Development was awarded 140 million forints out of a total of 1.1 billion.

The conduction, coordination and management of the project was undertaken by the National Rural Development Training and Advisory Institute (NAKVI).

(Press Office of the Ministry of Rural Development, NAKVI)