Fully 120,000 hectares were organically farmed at the end of last year. Since the number of organic farmers has doubled, it is fair to assume that at least another 100,000 hectares has been added, the head of the company in charge of supervising ecological farms said.

Organically farmed areas covering 2.5 percent of arable land at the end of last year increased to 4-5 percent this year, mainly due to subsidies.

During the 2014-2020 European Union budget period, more than 60 billion forints (EUR 194m) can be spent on supporting organic farmers, three times more than in the previous budget period, the paper said.

Every applicant for organic farming has received support, it added.

The number of Hungarians involved in organic farming, including food processing and trade, is around 4,000, Világgazdaság said.

Republished with permission of Hungary Matters, MTI’s daily newsletter.