Agroinform.hu: Three-quarters of fir tree buyers can decorate their homes with products from domestic producers again this year

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As they wrote, this year, buyers will have to pay around 5,000 forints per meter for spruce, 7,000 for silver fir, and 10,000 for Nordmann fir. There can be up to 10-15 percent differences between prices in some places, with prices fluctuating most in the case of Nordmann fir. According to a survey by the agricultural portal at the end of November, 61 percent of buyers plan to spend a maximum of 10,000 forints on a fir tree, but some of them will likely exceed this limit when faced with market realities.

Only 15 percent of buyers plan to spend over 20 thousand forints

The most expensive pine species, the Nordmann pine, is the next most popular, with 59 percent of buyers interested, followed by spruce with 24 percent and silver pine with 14 percent. Among the other species, which account for only 3 percent, the portal highlights the Colorado pine, in addition to the black pine, which – as they wrote – is replacing the Douglas fir, which has declined due to fungal infection. The survey also shows that 58 percent of buyers plan to buy a pine tree over one and a half meters tall, 42 percent smaller, while 18 percent of buyers are interested in rooted trees sold with a ball of soil. The number of pine trees sold before Christmas will only become clear in the last few days, as 37 percent of buyers leave the purchase of their pine tree until the last week – they explained.

According to Agroinform.hu, a quarter of the population currently decorates artificial fir trees at Christmas

The most common reason for choosing this is environmental protection. Many people also argue in favor of artificial fir trees with the price advantage due to the possibility of using them for several years and the absence of leaf loss due to drying out. However, the portal draws attention to the fact that fir trees planted as Christmas trees are overall more environmentally friendly than artificial fir trees. Their cultivation is similar to that of other agricultural crops, and the majority of discarded trees are composted, so neither their production nor their destruction significantly burden the environment.

By purchasing live fir trees, buyers do not support manufacturers in the Far East, but mainly Hungarian producers

In Hungary, 600-700 family farms grow fir trees on 3,000-3,500 hectares today. Climate change poses a major challenge for growers, as none of the pine species can withstand drought well, and the lack of humidity weakens the trees, which makes them easier to infect with pests, the statement says. Balázs Győrfy, president of the Christmas Tree Growers Association, told Agroinform.hu: a smaller price increase was necessary this year due to the drought year and the rapidly increasing costs of pest protection, but due to the increase in import prices, the price of domestic pines remained competitive.

MTI