Chamber of Agriculture: Demand for walnuts is picking up, plantation size has increased
The demand for walnuts, the indispensable raw material for Christmas bejgli, zserbó and hókifli, will pick up at the end of the year. According to the overview of the National Chamber of Agriculture (NAK) and the Hungarian Vegetable and Fruit Professional Association (FruitVeB), the size of domestic walnut plantations has increased significantly in recent years, but development in production technology is needed to improve competitiveness.

(Photo: Pixabay)
The organizations’ statement sent to MTI on Friday highlighted that walnuts are currently grown on approximately 9,200 hectares in Hungary, which is a significant increase compared to the previous 6,000 hectares. The largest production area is located in the counties of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg, Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén and Somogy. At the same time, there are still many neglected walnut plantations with low production technology; The size of well-cultivated, somewhat more intensive plantations in the country is under 3,000 hectares. It was announced that the annual production could be 6,450 tons, which could be significantly increased by developing technology and increasing the proportion of intensive, irrigated, modern, high-yielding plantations. There is market demand for high-quality domestic walnuts, but they have lost their importance on export markets: they are gradually being squeezed out of the supply due to the rise of Chilean, Australian, French and Chinese walnuts. A
ccording to experts, average yields per farm should be increased to improve the export position of producers
In order to increase the efficiency of cultivation, it is essential to develop cultivation technology, modernize the cultivation system, and primarily create a more manageable crown shape, which would also solve the problems of plant protection. The implementation of the developments can be supported by the subsidies available to the sector: in addition to the plantation planting subsidy opened in September, the new Agri-Environmental Management (AKG) scheme starting in January 2025 can also encourage the renewal of domestic walnut plantations, they said.
MTI
Related news
NAV: selling self-produced fruit may be tax-free up to an annual income of six hundred thousand forints
The sale of self-produced vegetables and fruit may be tax-free…
Read more >Hungarian university cooperation can help the cultivation of berries
The Hungarian University of Agricultural and Life Sciences (MATE) and…
Read more >Bird flu: What is the situation in the United States?
Seasonal migration of wild birds and the import of certain…
Read more >Related news
Arla invests 59.4 mEUR in expanding cream cheese capacities
Arla Foods announced a new investment of 59.4 mEUR in…
Read more >Extreme summer, record heat: this is how chain stores are reacting to the heat
Budapest has never experienced such a high temperature as this…
Read more >Draft decree on food vouchers for pensioners completed
The draft government decree on a 30,000-forint food voucher for…
Read more >