The principle characteristics of wheat and maize production in the Hungarian regions

Hingyi, Hajnalka

Keywords: regions, wheat, maize, record harvest, income

The investigations revealed differences between the corn production of various regions with special respect to the development of sowing fields, output and income. It can be concluded:
- The most significant wheat producing regions are Southern Dunántúl and Southern Plain. In both regions the amounts of crop harvested and average outputs exceeded those of other regions during the period investigated.
- In the case of maize the Southern Dunántúl is the key region, harvesting in 2004 11% more than the Northern Plain and nearly seven times more than the Central Hungarian region that produced the lowest output. Average production values were also the highest in the Southern Dunántúl region.
- Average production values in the regions differ because of differing production technologies, input use and ecological resources.
- The net income per hectare from farm marketing and within this the net income from the sale of cereals between 2001-2003 were the most favourable in Southern Dunántúl, which was the largest cereal producing region.
- Merchandising on the internal market was profitable for both plants (wheat, maize) in 2001, whereas in the period between 2002-2003 only the sale of maize resulted in profits for the growers.

Following the record harvest in 2004, in future we shall probably produce wheat and maize in excess of home demand, therefore it would extraordinarily important to:
- Establish the infra-structural background to intervention buying (build new depots, develop the logistics)
- Improve flow of information
- Modernise production (sealed sowing seeds, adequate feedstuff provision, increased mechanisation).
- Develop techniques and technology (e.g. replacement of outdated machinery parks requiring excessive maintenance cost).
- Create producers’ associations (e.g. for strengthening marketing and successful sales).

Encourage programs for market oriented quality production.

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