This year’s strawberry harvest is delayed due to the cool May

(Photo: Pixabay)

Hungarian strawberries are already available on domestic markets. Cold greenhouse cultivation is the determining factor in domestic strawberry production. Strawberries from greenhouses appeared on the market in the first week of May. The ripening of fruit from open-field cultivation – which can be said to be significant in terms of quantity – started in mid-May. The greenhouse harvest can be said to be average, thanks largely to the fact that the covered stands were effectively protected from the frosts of April and May. However, significant frost damage can be experienced in the open field crop (40-80% yield loss depending on the region), some of which remained latent until mid-May: that is, the first flowers were tied, but due to the “cold”, they are unable to grow the fruit.

Another problem is the unusually cool, overcast, light-poor weather in May, which has slowed down ripening and stretched the harvest even further

All these weather changes result in a decrease in supply on the markets, so prices in early May are holding their own, no significant price decrease has occurred. We cannot expect any significant change in the season lasting until mid-June, unless an unexpected and significant heat wave occurs. The supply of the markets remains stable despite this – with a more restrained and stretched supply.

Several smaller family farms have also appeared in the production

There is significant demand for Hungarian strawberries this year as well. The biggest problem in the sector is currently the harvesting of strawberries. Mechanization has not been solved, manual labor is very expensive, and it is also difficult to find labor for the laborious work of picking strawberries.

Strawberries are grown on about 704 hectares in our country, and the production area has been continuously expanding over the past five years

In 2024, strawberries were grown on a 22 percent larger surface area than in 2020. The harvested crop volume was 8 thousand tons in 2024, which is 500 tons more than the volume a year earlier. The expansion is primarily due to the increase in the production area, and the specific yields have not changed significantly in recent years. Imported strawberries are also on the shelves this year, and they represent a much higher consumption experience than domestically grown fruit in terms of their nutritional value and taste. Hungarian strawberries are harvested fresh, fully ripe, which is no match for the half-ripe fruit from southern Mediterranean countries. Let’s also take into account that strawberries are not a ripening fruit, so their nutritional values ​​and flavorings can only be developed when picked fully ripe.

NAK