Máté Giricz, agricultural entrepreneur, the country’s oldest active rice grower, who recently celebrated his 84th birthday, lives in Gyomaendrőd. He regularly participates in agricultural conferences and acts as a consultant to pass on his knowledge and experience to the next generations.
Photo: Magdolna Dinya
He has dedicated his life to this sector for 58 years
The company he manages not only deals with the cultivation of rice, but also places great emphasis on sustainability. Environmental protection and sustainable agriculture are important to him. Modern technologies are also used during production to minimize environmental impact and increase productivity.
He worked at the Körös State Farm, as the head of the sector, where he managed rice cultivation on 1,300 hectares. In 1993, he founded his own company, which is located in Gyomaendrőd, close to the rice fields. These areas have a good waterproofing layer and a low gold crown value. Currently, he plans to plant 50 hectares of white rice and 60 hectares of Indian rice, and also grows other crops such as winter wheat, winter barley, spring corn, corn, sunflower, peas, sorghum and millet.
The earthworks of the rice fields will be completed in the next few days
The water is lifted from the Hármas-Körös and then channeled to the areas by gravity through built-up canal systems. At the end of April, Indian rice sowing begins in the flooded areas. White rice is sown and flooded between May 1-5. They produce the rice seeds themselves, and after harvesting, they process them according to the customers’ requests.
