As a result of Nestlé Hungária Ltd.’s capacity expansion investment, 280 new jobs will be created in Bük, Hungary contributing to the country’s record-breaking year in terms of investments, exports, and employment, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó announced on Thursday at the site.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the minister reported during the handover of Nestlé Hungária Ltd.’s investment that the Swiss-owned company had expanded the capacities of its pet food manufacturing facility for approximately 90 billion HUF, thereby creating 280 new jobs.
The company also conducted a training programme worth nearly 390 million HUF between 2021 and 2023, which the government supported with 193 million HUF in funding. This programme will allow the Hungarian economy to advance technologically.
Szijjártó noted that Nestlé, present in 77 countries worldwide, sells 90 per cent of its products on international markets, which will further boost Hungary’s export performance.
He also pointed out that the factory is powered by renewable sources, contributing to Hungary’s ability to increase its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) while reducing its carbon emissions, putting it among the 20 countries that can achieve this. Szijjártó touched upon the significant lessons learned from the severe crises of recent years, emphasizing the importance of a country’s food industry capacities that allow it to able to provide for itself.
‘This is why agriculture and the food industry must be treated as strategic sectors, and government decisions reflect this approach,’ he stated.
In this context, he highlighted that the food industry employs 145,000 people, and a crucial goal is to increase the use of domestic raw materials and resources in the sector. He emphasized that the Hungarian agriculture and food industry is particularly innovative and has become internationally competitive in recent years, demonstrated by the fact that companies in the sector decided on capacity expansions rather than layoffs even during the toughest crisis years, and there were no supply disruptions even during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The minister went on to state that in 2020, the production value of the Hungarian food industry was 3.8 trillion HUF, while last year, it reached 6.5 trillion HUF,
representing significant growth. Moreover, in the first seven months of this year, they recorded an 8 per cent increase, surpassing 3.7 trillion HUF already.
Finally, Minister Szijjártó welcomed the fact that in recent weeks, this was already the fourth Swiss corporate investment announcement, significantly contributing to breaking new records in investments and exports. He also mentioned that Swiss companies now make up the 11th largest investor community in Hungary, providing jobs for approximately 31,000 people through nearly a thousand companies. Bilateral trade value exceeded the record of €2 billion last year after significant growth, and this year, it has already registered another 10 per cent increase.
The company’s Managing Director Péter Noszek stated: ‘Nestlé PURINA’s Bük factory, one of the region’s largest employers, thanks to its dynamic development and continuous investments, will establish more than 500 new jobs in the city between 2020 and 2025.’
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Source: Hungarian Conservative/KKM/MTI
