In addition to supplying domestic consumers, fresh Hungarian tomatoes also reach foreign markets

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This year, customers can find an abundant supply of tomatoes in shops and markets. Domestic tomato cultivation has undergone significant development in recent years, and thanks to greenhouse cultivation, environmental factors do not affect the quantity and quality of the crop to the same extent as in open field conditions. In addition to increasing production costs, the biggest challenge for farmers is the presence of Tomato Brown Fruit Wrinkle Virus (ToBRFV). In order to avoid infection and serious economic damage, the most important thing is prevention, the use of reliable propagating material, compliance with strict hygiene regulations, and continuous monitoring.

Edible tomatoes are grown by farmers under closed cultivation equipment, typically in a greenhouse or foil tent

In recent years, the area of modern greenhouse tomatoes has increased by more than 110 hectares thanks to subsidies and favorable credit opportunities, so that today there are more than 310 hectares of tomato growing in the country. On average, 150,000-160,000 tons of fresh market tomatoes leave domestic greenhouses and foil tents every year. 75-80 percent of this quantity is berry and cluster tomatoes, but other types, mainly cherry and cocktail tomatoes, are also gaining ground. The latter have become more and more popular among domestic customers in recent years. And the offer is adjusted to the customer’s needs.

There are more than 10,000 varieties of tomatoes in the world, and the range of seed breeding companies in Hungary is also very wide

Cultivation of different varieties varies from farm to farm. In general, it can be said that the knowledge of the varieties is not widespread among customers, they typically choose in terms of type, shape and sweetness. The variety names can be found on the cocktail and cherry tomato packages, so more and more people in these segments can consciously choose from the products.

Domestic producers can supply the market with cocktail and cherry tomatoes from April to October, and we are self-sufficient in cluster tomatoes from the beginning of April until the onset of winter

In the late spring period, the production volume increases so much that the domestic market can no longer absorb it, so domestic tomatoes are also exported until September. The amount of exports is increasing year by year, in 2022 we delivered 17.6 percent more tomatoes to foreign markets compared to the previous year. We exported most of our tomatoes to the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Romania. In the future, it is expected that, in addition to cluster tomatoes, the export of cocktail and cherry tomatoes will also expand. Although winter cultivation has already appeared in the most modern thermal water-heated greenhouses, imports typically still dominate in this period. In the past year, the domestic import of tomatoes further decreased: in 2022, about 13 percent fewer foreign tomatoes were sold in stores than a year earlier, most of which are imported from Spain.

NAK/FruitWeb