The price of one-month-old radishes has increased, the price of leeks has fallen: a mixed start to the year for onion crops and early vegetables

Monthly radishes: moderate domestic price increase, stronger import price increase

250–260 thousand tons of monthly radishes are grown in the EU annually, with the supply typically provided by Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands. In Hungary – after lettuce – it is the second most important cold-tolerant, cultivated vegetable variety.
According to AKI data, the producer price of domestic radishes increased by 4% in the first 13 weeks of 2026 compared to the same period of the previous year, and was around 270 HUF/bundle. In parallel, the price of Italian imports increased by 19%, and was offered at a price of 228 HUF/bundle in wholesale trade, meaning that the import price also moved upwards, while the domestic product maintained its position at a higher price level.

Spring onions: stable domestic price, catching up from imports

Domestically grown spring onions are available in the domestic supply all year round. At the beginning of the year, the producer price of Hungarian goods did not change, remaining at an average of 296 HUF/bundle. However, the wholesale price of Italian spring onions increased by 11% and practically caught up with the domestic price level at around 297 HUF/bundle. The convergence of the two prices indicates that imports did not pull it down during this period, but rather “increased” the domestic price range.

Leeks: price decrease despite import decline

At the EU level, the “leader” of leeks is France (~160 thousand tons per year), followed by Belgium and the Netherlands. In Hungary, the harvest is much smaller, over 900 tons.

However, the foreign trade picture shows an interesting turn: according to AKI, the combined import of leeks, winter onions and chives decreased by 60% in 2025, while exports increased by 20%. The main supplier is still Germany, but the quantity coming from there has decreased to less than half.

Despite all this, domestic leeks are present on the Budapest wholesale market without import competition, the supply is continuous, yet in the first months of 2026 the producer price decreased by 18% and was around 303 HUF/piece. This suggests that price development is not only strongly influenced by import pressure, but also by the internal market balance (supply-demand, seasonality).

What is worth paying attention to in the season?

Based on the figures, the early vegetable and onion market experienced a simultaneous increase in prices (radishes), price stagnation (spring onions) and price correction (leeks) at the beginning of 2026. In the following weeks, the seasonal