"There were offers of 733,000 tonnes in the first week. I think this is near last year's levels," MVH Intervention Director Laszlo Rieger told Reuters on Monday.
Hungary expects even more grain to be offered into intervention this season than in 2004/05, when a record crop led to purchases near four million tonnes, making the small EU-newcomer one of the bloc's top intervention contributors.
The Agriculture Ministry said last week 4.5 million tonnes of grain would be channelled into the surplus system this season, adding that Hungary could end up with grain stocks of 20 million tonnes unless the whole intervention system is reformed.
Farmers are midway through what looks like a second bumper maize crop in a row, with silos still full from last year and exports struggling due to a shortage of rail rolling stock and low water levels on the river Danube.