VISONTA, HUNGARY — Hungarian grain processing company Viresol has opened a new wheat starch plant in Visonta. The new plant will process 250,000 tonnes of Hungarian wheat, which equates to about 10% of all Hungarian wheat intended for export.

The Hungarian government provided a 6.2 billion forint ($22 million) grant for the 33 billion forint ($117.2 million) project.

Speaking at the facility’s inauguration on Feb. 11, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán called the plant’s opening a major milestone in the Hungarian food industry.

“An installation that can bring grain processing to a completely different dimension in Hungary,” he said. “This plant will process 250,000 tons of GMO-free wheat, purchased exclusively from domestic suppliers, on an annual basis, with world-class, environmentally friendly technology and no waste.”

Orbán said it is extremely important that Viresol will be able to produce large quantities of wheat starch at the facility that don’t contain gluten.

“Anyone who knows this problem knows well the burden it has on those involved, not only from a health point of view, but also financially,” he said. “The production of gluten-free starch is important because it has a growing market and more importantly, to make life easier for many of our fellow human beings. In addition to providing work for 250 people, Viresol will have one of the most modern factories in Europe. We will need many of these companies in the future.”