ABSTRACT
AgriculturehastraditionallyplayedagreaterroleintheHungarianeconomythanithasinmostindustrializedcountries.Althoughtheintensive industrializationdriveafterWorldWarIIdramaticallyreducedtheshareof agricultureinnationalproduct,agricultureandfoodprocessingconsistentlyaccountedforbetween15percentand20percentofnationalincome duringthe1970sandthe1980s.Of9.3millionhectaresoflandinthe country,70percentisarableand19percentisforest.Accordingtodata fromtheFoodandAgricultureOrganization(FAO),theamountofarable landpercapitaisoneofthehighestamongtheEuropeancountries.2Most oftheagriculturallandisrelativelyfertile,andclimaticconditionsare favorablefortemperateagriculture.Thisfertilelandrepresentsoneofthe mostimportantnaturalresourcesofthecountry,andprovidesthebasisfor astrongfoodandagriculturalsector.
