“Japan is the number one target for Hungarian food exports outside the EU, and this is one of the reasons it was chosen to be the guest of honour at this year’s National Agriculture and Food Industry Expo and Fair (OMÉK)”, the Minister of Agriculture announced at a press conference in Budapest.
Sándor Fazekas pointed out: “Japan is a dynamically expanding market for Hungarian products, in addition to which Japan is also the largest Asian investor in Hungary”. “We are awaiting Japan’s debut at the 78th OMÉK expo, to be held on 20-24 September 2017, with great expectations”, the Minister said. In addition to the Hungexpo national exhibition centre, this year’s Fair will also occupy the neighbouring Kincsem Park race track, which will be home to various animal shows, for instance, Mr. Fazekas told reporters.
Farmers and traders will be showcasing the treasures of the Carpathian Basin and the very best that rural Hungary has to offer to show visitors the hidden wonders of Hungarian farmland and the excellent quality of the products it is capable of producing. “The people of Japan love high quality, premium Hungarian foods. In view of the Far Eastern country’s sophisticated eating habits, only outstanding quality products with high added value can exist on this market”, the Minister said, citing as an example Hungarian food products made using pork from Mangalitsa pigs.
Japan’s Ambassador to Hungary, Mr. Junichi Kosuge, spoke about the fact that the Japanese Government is working together with the public and private sector to promote Japanese food industry products and to increase exports. "Japan’s debut in Budapest is part of this process”, he said.
Managing Director of the Agricultural Marketing Centre László Daróczi told reporters that the organisation’s budget for this year was some 3 billion forints (EUR 9.7M) of which 1.2 billion may be spent on the OMÉK Expo, which the Government has contributed to with an additional 600 million forints. “We hope that the number of visitors and exhibitors will both be higher than two years ago, when a record 87 thousand people visited the Expo, where 900 exhibitors showcased their products”, the managing Director said.