Hungarian Foreign Minister Szijjártó Péter highlights the growth of the food industry and the government's role in bolstering domestic SMEs at a new factory opening.
The Hungarian food industry has nearly doubled its production value compared to the year of the
COVID-19 pandemic, according to Foreign Minister Szijjártó Péter.
He made this statement at the inauguration of a new facility for Kemenes Confectionery Manufactory Ltd., a Hungarian family-owned business in Páty.
The company has invested approximately 1.8 billion forints in the new facility, with state backing of 618 million forints, which has resulted in an increase in the number of employees to 85, as reported by the Hungarian news agency MTI.
Minister Szijjártó emphasized the strategic importance of supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that are Hungarian-owned as a central component of the country's economic policy.
He stated, "The government’s support for domestic companies is at the heart of our economic policy, and this will remain unchanged in the future."
The new facility is expected to open up additional markets for Kemenes, allowing their products to be available beyond Hungary’s borders.
Highlighting the resilience of the food industry, Minister Szijjártó noted that the sector's production value had reached 3,800 billion forints in 2020 during the
COVID-19 pandemic, and increased to 6,500 billion forints last year.
Over the last decade, the Hungarian government has supported investments in 1,108 domestic companies with a total value of 580 billion forints, contributing to the creation of 14,000 jobs and generating investments worth 2,300 billion forints.
The minister also addressed the broader global economic challenges, acknowledging recent years of crises that have underscored the vulnerabilities faced by economies and industries worldwide.