Agricultural experts from Kazakhstan visited Hungary from the 20th till the 22nd of July. The purpose of their visit was to learn about the Hungarian process and policies of the registration of seed varieties. Beatrix Pasztercsák, the CEO of Törökszentmiklósi Mezőgazdasági Ltd. accompanied the Kazakh Seed Registration Committee during their stay.
On the first day the members of the committee visited the Agricultural Research Centre of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, where Dr. Ervin Balázs General Director and Director of the Agricultural Research Centre for Agricultural Sciences Institute, Dr. Csaba L. Marton Maize Breeding Department Director, Dénes Oross CEO of Bázismag Ltd. welcomed the guests. Dr. Ervin Balázs introduced the history of the research institute and its main activities. Dr. Csaba Marton presented the history, production and results of Hungarian corn hybrids. He more specifically talked about the seeds delivered to Kazakhstan, their breed characteristics, highlighting climatic conditions, harvest time and expected yields.
The next day Vice President Dr. Tamás Harangozó and Deputy Director Gyula Károlyi welcomed the guest at the National Food Chain Safety Office (NFCSO). The main topics of the discussions were the structure of NFCSO, description of divisions, major activities and in particular the rating, legislation and registration of Hungarian seed varieties.
At the Hungarian National Rural Network (HNRN) Géza Takács President and Zsolt Sipek Policy Officer described the task and mission of the network. Géza Takács spoke about the history and workings of the HNRN, then outlined the international relations: ESA, CEPM, ISF, COPA-COGECA and Ukrainian Seed Partnership Association.
The rest of the day the guests visited the Agricultural Museum.
The following day the delegation travelled to the Törökszentmiklósi Mezőgazdasági Ltd., where they were introduced to hybrid corn, feed corn and silage maize cultivation, linear irrigation system as well as plant protection and the yields, results achieved so far.
As a result of the three-day visit the members of the Kazakh Seed Registration Committee see opportunities for cooperation in several fields. They would also like to renew the Kazakh registration processes on the basis of the Hungarian example. The head of the Kazakh delegation also addressed that ministerial-level communication and cooperation are needed in several areas.