Views on the growing of energy crops

Szecsei, Tímea – Salamon, Lajos

Keywords: renewable energy, biomass, energy crop cultivation, Western Transdanubian Region

We examined the awareness of energy crops, the views about their cultivation and the reasons for the low level of entrepreneurial activity among farmers in the Western Transdanubian Region. Only 7% of the managers had ever heard of each of the energy crop named, while 11% had not encountered any of them. Managers who already had a certain level of awareness about the crops covered by the study showed a higher level of interest than the rest. 29% of the respondents were dissatisfied with the availability of information, while 53% were somewhat satisfied. The willingness to grow energy crops was basically a function of the aid expected and the potential sales revenue, with the existence of a purchase contract and the distance to the processing plant also being important factors. The importance of utilisation in the farmers’ own plant was of medium importance. The respondents judged membership in POs to be marginal.

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