Hungary, China sign food export agreements

Beijing, June 8 (MTI) – Hungary and China signed food export agreements in Ningpo, in eastern China, on Wednesday, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said.

Szijjártó told MTI on the sidelines of a meeting of the Chinese and central and eastern European trade ministers that the new agreements could increase the value of Hungary’s annual total food exports to China to 100 million dollars.

China will lift its embargo on the import of Hungarian duck and goose meat, which it was forced to impose last year because of the bird flu, Szijjártó said. This means the two countries can also conclude talks on Hungarian exports of turkey and chicken.

Agreements were also reached on the audit of an additional four Hungarian companies looking to export deep-frozen pork. Three other companies with existing export permits will also be audited.

Hungary and China also reached an agreement on dairy product trade. China can now begin inspections of Hungarian dairy product exporters, the minister said.

Szijjártó also held talks with China’s commerce minister Gao Hucheng and Sun Dawei, the deputy head of China’s quarantine authority, AQSIQ.