"100 thousand hectares of state-owned land have been put to use and 3000 land lease contracts have been signed so far within the framework of the National Land Programme; the tendering of state-owned land and the adjudication of tender applications is occurring continuously", Minister for Rural Development Sándor Fazekas announced at a press conference on Monday.

The Minister for Rural Development presented young farmer Ádám Szantner with the 3000th land lease contract within the framework of the "Land for Farmers Programme".

Márton Bitay, the Ministry's Minister of State responsible for the National Land Programme, stressed that, as is usually the case, this tender was won by a locally resident farmer working in a family business and dealing with animal husbandry.

Download

Sándor Fazekas introduced the winner of the tender, who has a farm in the settlement of Szepetnek in Zala County. The family-run farm has been operating since 2002, and has been managed by Ádám Szantner since March 2012. The farm currently has 30 pigs and a territory of 50 hectares. The young farmer won a further 89.5 hectares via the tender, and his strategic goals include increasing the farm's pig stocks and beginning potato cultivation as a supplementary activity.

Both areas, doubling pig stocks and increasing potato production, are important objectives of the Government, the Minister stated.

Minister of State for the National Land Programme Márton Bitay said that land tenders are won by farmers in every single case and that the best tender application submitted wins the right to farm the land.
The published tender automatically includes advantages for family-owned farms and especially young farmers, giving them a greater chance of being awarded land within the Land for Farmers Programme, the Minister of State pointed out.

Mr. Bitay explained that the programme is unique in the history of Hungarian agriculture, because never before has any government realised a programme that involves making 250 thousand hectares of state-owned land available to locally resident family farms that are involved in animal husbandry.

The Minister of State pointed out that the area of state land totals some 600 thousand hectares, which was covered by 600 contracts during the socialist Gyuzrcsány-Bajnai era, but which according to the current programme will involve more than 6000 contractual partners on 250 thousand hectares, meaning that the number of farmers with access to state land is being increased tenfold using only half the area of land available.

Ádám Szantner is one of 150 young farmers to have won the right to farm state-owned land in this round of tenders. Young farmers have previously been awarded a total of over 3 thousand hectares within the territories of the Hortobágy and Kiskunság National Parks. During the last publication of successful tenders by the Kiskunság National Park, all of the young farmers who submitted tender applications won state land, the Minister of State emphasised. In accordance with the Government's decision, almost all the available territories have already been put to tender, and tenders for new areas of land will be published as they become available. Results will be published for all of the tendered land by the end of the year, and if possible, all related contracts will also be signed by that time.

In reply to a question, Minister for Rural Development Sándor Fazekas said that the status of state land assets included in contracts due to expire in 2017 would be reviewed and the acquisition of land from state institutions is continuous. The goal is for all state land to be leased to Hungarian farmers within the framework of the Land for Farmers Programme when related contracts expire.

Download

Minister of State Bitay told the press that on average, every third young farmer who submits a valid application is awarded land through the Programme. In general, it may be stated that the winners of tenders receive 25 hectares in the case of arable land and 60 hectares in the case of pasture. The National Land Fund Management Organisation (NFA) is putting 110 thousand hectares of state-owned land to tender, the majority of which is arable land, and Hungary's national parks are contributing 140 thousand hectares of state-owned land to the Programme, most of which is pasture.

(MTI)

(Ministry of Rural Development)