Hungary to become the biggest salmon exporter?

food Hungary

Unsplash/ Colin Czerwinski

A high-tech terrestrial salmon farm in Zalaegerszeg could be built for the first time in the region, with 8.4 billion forints (23,983,848 euros). It will first open for fishing in 2024. The Hungarian Fisheries Management Operational Program (MAHOP) provides about HUF 3 billion (8,565,660 euros) for the investment from the European Union funds available to Hungary.

The location of the business is great. “If we draw an 800-kilometre circle from Zalaegerszeg, 13 capitals can be reached,” writes Telex. This means that exporting is a great idea.

Salmon is coming from the oceans, so fishing raises many concerns, and Norwegian, Scottish or Faroese cage production also receives much criticism. The fish there live in a crowded environment, and in order not to get illnesses, they are given antibiotics.

The uneaten fish food and the medicine gets into the water and changes the ecosystem, while microplastic creates another major issue. That is why the Hungarian business will be a better option.

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“I established Zalmon Kft. in order to examine the possibilities of sustainable salmon farming in Hungary, within the framework of the so-called RAS (recirculating aquaculture systems) with the help of domestic and international experts,” the founder of the business told napi.hu.

RAS is a recirculation aquaculture system, and the point of it is that the used water goes through continuous purification and filtration, so it can be used many times over and over again. This environmentally friendly and sustainable business will have world-class technology in place, according to the owner, Viktor Sagyibó. Building the salmon farm will start in 2022, and it will employ 26 people.

There will be 3000 fish on the farm by the end of 2024, and the company is aiming to sell 19 tonnes of fish every week, and 1,000 tonnes of fish per year in total. The new business could increase Hungary’s fisheries exports by nearly 30 per cent, which will be a significant step.

The business will not sell living fish, but the transport is going to be very fast, and an order is going to be delivered to European wholesalers within 12 hours. The plan is to sell fish domestically as well.

Salmon is one of the most popular fish in the world. “Of the world’s 150 million tonnes of annual fish consumption, salmon is already over 2 million tonnes, and the market is growing by about 5.5 per cent a year,” writes Telex. In some countries, one person is estimated to consume 5 kilos of salmon per year.