TEOL – Hungary is an agricultural country that loves honey and bees
The entire Hungarian society greatly appreciates the work of the Hungarian bees, which makes one of the most valuable foods and diseases available to the world, Minister of Agriculture István Nagy said at the International Beekeeping Congress on Thursday in Istanbul, the Ministry of Agriculture (AM) announced.
According to the announcement, the minister reminded that Hungary is one of the largest honey producers in the European Union. Hungary has one of the highest bee densities in Europe, with around 13 bee colonies per square kilometer. Almost 1.2 million bee colonies and 20 thousand beekeepers live in Hungary.
The country’s ecological conditions are favorable for beekeeping almost everywhere. Between 25,000 and 30,000 tons of honey are produced in Hungary every year, 60 percent of which is exported. “Our acacia honey is a curiosity, hungaricum, but our varietal and mixed honeys are also of high quality – added the minister.
He explained that the activities of beekeepers are highly supported by the national government, as evidenced by the introduction of pollination subsidies. Since 2010, producers have already been supported with 50 million euros through the National Beekeeping Program. A bee animal tender was announced, unique in the European Union, with a budget of 25 million euros. The success of the measures is clearly shown by the fact that since 2010, honey consumption per capita has been continuously increasing in Hungary and the number of beekeepers is not decreasing, the minister pointed out.
István Nagy emphasized that Hungary and Budapest await the beekeepers of the world with friendship and warm hearts and can be a worthy venue for the 2025 Apimondia, the ministry’s announcement reads.