Sirha Budapest, a regional trade show for the food, bakery, gastronomy and hospitality industries, opened at the Hungexpo fairgrounds on Tuesday, MTI reports.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Agriculture Minister István Nagy said that the close to 4,000 food industry companies in Hungary employ around 146,000 people. Output of the sector reached HUF 6,650 billion in 2024, he added.
More than 400 exhibitors from 26 countries participate in the three-day event at this year's Sirha Budapest.
The guest of honour is Italy. The Italian Trade Agency, which turns 100 this year, has been presenting Italian food products at SIRHA for ten years, and this year brought a record number of 29 Italian food manufacturers to Budapest. Giovanna Chiappini Carpena, the Budapest director of the Italian Institute of Foreign Trade (ICE), said at the presentation announcing the event that it is important for her country that Italian gastronomy is becoming increasingly popular in Central and Eastern Europe, including Hungary.












