Zita Szlavikovics, chair of Lidl Hungary’s board of directors, said this at a press conference held on Tuesday in Budapest, organized jointly by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food and the retail chain.

László Búza, the ministry’s State Secretary for Food Economy, Distribution, and Education, emphasized that watermelon cultivation has a long tradition in Hungary.

Thanks to the hard work and perseverance of producers, more than 120 local varieties are grown in the country.

He stressed that the government’s broader goal is for people in Hungary to be healthier and happier within the next ten years, and that the Ministry of Agriculture plays a key role in supporting this from the perspective of the food economy.

Búza also drew attention to the importance of consuming healthy Hungarian fruit.

Zita Szlavikovics noted that Lidl Hungary’s suppliers grow watermelons on more than 600 hectares, and sales volume has tripled since 2018.

Last year, the company sold 17,600 tons of watermelon in Hungary, a seven percent increase compared to the previous year, marking the highest sales volume to date.

In addition, Lidl supplied more than 11,000 tons of Hungarian watermelon to international markets. She added that the Hungarian watermelon sector is capable both of preserving its traditions and of flexibly adapting to modern consumer demands.

An important goal for Lidl, Szlavikovics said, is to work with as many domestic producers and manufacturers as possible so that more Hungarian products reach customers.

As a result of the “Lidl for Hungarian Suppliers” program, the company now works with nearly 500 Hungarian businesses, and the retail chain’s product range includes approximately 6,000 domestic items, offering stable market opportunities to Hungarian companies.

The program’s success in foreign markets and the international competitiveness of domestic products are shown by the fact that while, at the program’s launch, products from 36 Hungarian suppliers reached Lidl stores abroad, last year products from 124 domestic companies, totaling 671 items, were available in 28 Lidl countries.

The total value of Hungarian exports exceeded 161 billion forints (461 million euros), Szlavikovics announced.

Photo: Pixabay

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