Increasing State Support for Hop Growing in Hungary

The size of Hungarian hop plantations may increase by another twenty hectares due to the fact that - following the subsidies of previous years - the Ministry of Agriculture will launch another support program this year with a budget of HUF 150 million to support the domestic production of beer.

In Kastélyosdomb, W Hungary the Hungarian Interchurch Aid, with the support of HEINEKEN Hungária, planted one hectare of hops from Perle, Saazer and Chinook varieties, which are widely known hop types. The aim of the joint initiative is to increase the amount of high-quality Hungarian raw materials in beer production. HEINEKEN Hungária has been working since 2016 to increase the amount of domestic raw materials in its products, and thanks to the initiative, after Hungarian barley and cherries and elderberries used in radlers, hops can now also be Hungarian.

Hop growing has a long tradition in Hungary, but has declined in recent decades. The joint program of the Hungarian Interchurch Aid and HEINEKEN Hungária intends to revive this tradition. The plants, planted two years ago, are yielding large quantities for the first time this year, and are expected to yield hundreds of kilograms during the harvest in days. With the increase in yield, in two years' time, they will be able to make one and a half tons of hops per hectare available for domestic beer production.