Hungary - Agriculture
Agricultural production is important to Hungary's economy although its role in the economy has steadily declined. In 1999 agriculture provided 5 percent of the GDP and 8 percent of employment, roughly similar to proportions
During the communist period about 90 percent of all farmland was organized into collective and state-owned farms. In collective farms, different families worked together on jointly owned land and shared the earnings from the farm's output. State farms were directly owned and managed by the government. Following the introduction of the multiparty system and the transition to a free market economy in 1990, the new government began returning farms to private hands, also introducing forms of compensation for lands that had been seized. The result is that currently about 90 percent of cultivated land in Hungary is privately owned. Severe droughts following privatization, combined with sharp drops in government subsidies for farming, caused a 30 percent drop in agricultural production during the past 10 years. Animal breeding has fallen by 50 percent in comparison with 1990. State subsidies for agriculture in Hungary tend to be comparatively low, an average of 5 to 7 times less per capita in Hungary than in the average European Union country.
Hungary's leading agricultural products are a combination of staple crops, famous specialty items such as wine and livestock products, and basic livestock. Hungary's most important crops include corn, wheat, sugar beets, barley, potatoes, and sunflower seeds. It also produces grapes and wine, including several famous wines such as those from the Tokaj region. Other well-known specialty items include salami, goose liver, and paprika. Livestock production is also important in Hungary, including cattle, pigs, sheep, horses, and poultry. Important livestock products include milk, meat, butter, eggs, and wool. Finally, Hungary has some important freshwater fisheries, mostly located on the Danube and Tisza rivers, and on Lake Balaton. The commercial fish catch consists mainly of carp, pike, perch, sheatfish, and shad.
Hungary also has important forestry resources, although poor forestry management reduced Hungary's forestry resources under communism. The expansion of agriculture, a high rate of exploitation, and inadequate re-planting of trees contributed to a significant decline in the period following World War II. In response, the government reduced timber cutting and launched an extensive reforestation program in the 1960s. The timber cut in 1998 was 3.88 million cubic meters (137 million cubic feet).