URGE GREATER SPEED, EFFICIENCY IN SPRING FIELD WORK IN HUNGARY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000700110672-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 15, 2011
• Sequence Number: 672
• Publication Date: June 26, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

CLASSIFICATION CO1IFIDEITTIAL
SECURITY IIFORMATION
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY REPORT
INFORMATION FROM
FOREIGN DOCUMENTS OR RADIO BROADCASTS CD NO.
COUNTRY Hungary
SUBJECT Economic - Agriculture, spring field work
HOW
PUBLISHED Daily newspaper
WHERE
PUBLISHED Budapest
DATE
PUBLISHED 4 - 23 Apr 1953
LANGUAGE Hungarian
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141144,47 111 04470.7[ ,0 (0.[0[17, b .4 01.4704.1014 7(0[04 1[
SOURCE Szabad Nep.
DATE OF 1953
INFORMATION
DATE DIST. M Jun 1953
NO. OF PAGES 3
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
URGE GREATER SP-EED, EFFICIENCY IN SPRING FIELD WORK III HUNGARY
.luring the month of April, the Hungarian government conducted a
vigorous agricultural campaign aimed primarily at inducing independ-
ent producers to complete their spring field work early and effi-
~iently. This report presents Information on the campaign, as re-
ported in Szabad Nep.
Numbers in parentheses refer to appended sources
On 4 April 1953, Szabad Nep printed a report issued by the Ministry of
Agriculture. The report, which outlined the current situation in regard to
spring field work, is summarized as follows:
The sowing of spring wheat was completed throughout the country on 20 March.
To compensate for the deficiency in the winter cereal crops, eight times as much
spring wheat has been planted an in former years. Experimental farms, training
farms and producers cooperatives completed the sowing of barley and oats on
31 March. Plowing and fertilizing also were completed on a nationwide scale.
Nearly twice as much land was fertilized this year as in 1952. The planting of
sugar beets has reached 93.6 percent of plan requirements.
Agricultural machine stations have improved their performance and materially
assisted the cooperatives. The machine stations in Komarom, Ilograd, Fejer, and
Bekes megyek finished their spring plans on 4 April.
Despite these excellent results, many independent producers are lagging in
the sowing of barley and o.ts, and the country as a whole is behind schedule in
planting sunflower seed. iere are serious delays also in the planting of fod-
der, alfalfa, and clover.
Although the target date for the completion of spring plowing was 31 March,
independent producers in many parts of the country are still lagging in plowing,
and reserve land ffarm land recently sold to the state/ has not been cultivates
DISTRIBUTION
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP80-00809AO00700110672-Z
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700110672-2
everywhere. The quality of the field work is often poor; machine stations
should do more and better work. All members of the agricultural sector will
have to make a greater effort if the spring plan is to be fulfilled satisfac-
torily.(1)
On 7 April 1953, 4 days after the Ministry of Agriculture's report, Szabad
Nep carried an article on page 1 urging the completion of the planting of bar-
ley and oats by 10 April.(2) This was followed on 10 April by an article on
the front page of the same paper stating that the Ministry of Agriculture had
ordered commissions to make an inspection of the field work throughout the coun-
try between 10 and 20 April. The article stated that although last year's poor
crops depleted the store of seed potatoes in pore places, the time had arrived
for planting potatoes, and seed could and must be obtained. The article recom
mended that seed potatoes be obtained by purchase or barter, or by slicing in
half potatoes weighing a minimum of 6 decagrams so that both halves could be
used for seed. It was even suggested that the sprouts of food potatoes be re-
moved and planted.(3)
On 11 April, Szabad Nep reminded producers of the special benefits provided
by the 1953 decree on produce delivery for those who meet their sunflower deliv-
ery obligations in kind. According to the paper, these benefits consist of the
right to purchase 2 liters of table oil, one kilogram of soap, and 5 kilograms
of sunflower-seed meal for each quintal of sunflower seed which is surrendered
in fulfillment of delivery quotas. The purchase price is to be 11 forints for
a liter of table oil, 14 forints for a kilogram of soap, and 65 forints for a
quintal of meal. Producers delivering sunflower seed in excess of their quotas
will receive, free of charge, 17 liters of table oil and 20 kilograms of meal
for each excess quintal; soap may be substituted for table oil.(4)
The 10 April target date for barley was not met; on 14 April Szabad Nep
again complained about the delay in planting barley, adding that it was :ime
also for potatoes to be in the ground (5), and on 18 April the same paper pub-
lished the Ministry of Agriculture's directive to the effect that spring plant-
ing must be accelerated. The directive criticized specifically the delay in
planting barley, sunflower seed, and potatoes. (6)
Although no further mention is _-,ad, o. the ;: maittc_c whL:h were to survey
spring field work between 10 and 20 April, the 22, 23, and 24 April issues of
Szabad Nep urged greater speed in potato plnntiw,. The 22 April issue scored
local councils which blamed the delay on a shortage of seedjot:.tas. Szabad Pep
felt that this shortage was a fiction, since producers could double their supply
of seed simply by slicing the potatoes in half.(7)
After a month of exhortation and criticism, the Ministry of Agriculture
summarized the current situation in another report which was published by Szabad
Nan on 28 April. The report is given in brief below:
Spring planting is nearing completion throughout the country. Many pro-
ducers' cooperatives and communities report that they have fulfilled their spring
plans. Considered as a whole, however, the results are not entirely satisfactory.
Only six megyek fout of 19/ have finished planting sunflower seed while four
megyek have planted less than 90 percent of the required amount. On 25 April only
one megye had finished planting potatoes, while some of the other megyek had
planted less than 75 percent of the amount specified.
Although the planting of corn is proceeding more rabidly now, six megyek and
many producers cooperatives are still behind schedule. The report added that the
machine tractor stations fulfilled. their spring work plans by 125.6 percent.(8)
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 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700110672-2
r
SOURCES
1.
Budapest, Szabad Nep, 4 Apr 53
2.
Ibid., 7 Apr 53
3.
Ibid., 10 Apr 53
4.
Ibid.,
11 Apr 53
5.
Ibid.,
14 Apr 53
6.
Ibid., 18 Apr 53
7.
Ibid., 22, 23, 24 Apr 53
8.
Ibid., 28 Apr 53
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