The World Apple and Pear Association’s (WAPA) decision to hold the international Prognosfruit conference in Hungary is a testament to the international recognition of Hungarian apple and pear growers, István Nagy, the agriculture minister, said at the conference’s opening event in Budapest. The growing frequency of droughts, the interests of the horticulture sector and crop security have made it important to prioritise farmer irrigation projects, Nagy said. These developments, the minister said, required minimising yield fluctuations, optimising crop quantities and improving quality standards among apple and pear growers. Nagy noted that advancing the development of European agriculture was one of the priorities of Hungary’s six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union.