Ferenc Hódos, in charge of strategy at the company, said it used its own resources and financing from banks to build the "Pannonia Grow" plant that will produce 15,000 tonnes of soil improver from maize annually.

The investment is part of the firm's three-year development strategy to create a value-added product range that dovetails with the requirements of the circular economy, he added.

Minister of Agriculture István Nagy said that processing maize in-country is a "crucial matter" as Hungary is a net exporter of the crop.