Oszkár Ökrös, a deputy state secretary of the agriculture ministry, on Friday met Beth Bechdol, the Deputy Director-General of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, to discuss the expansion of a joint grant programme.
At the meeting in Budapest, Ökrös said that Hungary’s international agricultural grant programme supported the training of professionals in developing countries and the reform of those countries’ food supply systems, also contributing to achieving sustainable development goals. In view of the stipend programme’s growing popularity, expanding it merits consideration, he added.
Bechdol outlined FAO’s future priority that included innovation and research as well as water as a strategic resource. She praised Hungary’s commitment to cooperation with FAO.
Ökrös said that one of the agricultural priorities of Hungary’s European Union presidency in the second half of 2024 was to address food waste. The government and FAO pledged to work closely together on the issue.