More and more farmers see opportunities in pumpkin production

(Photo: Pixabay)

Autumn has arrived, and pumpkin season has arrived. The harvest of orange-type pumpkins began at the end of summer. For this variety, the harvest takes place in two or three stages according to maturity. The picking of the gray, Nagydobos variety group also started at the beginning of October. The Hokkaido and Provence varieties can also be found on the market. Their turnover is minimal compared to the other two variety groups.

According to the joint overview of NAK and FruitVeB, the size of the production area will exceed 1,800 hectares this year

Based on area-based subsidies, pumpkins will be produced on 1,885 hectares in Hungary in 2025. This is a significant increase compared to the 1,600 hectares last year. More and more farmers see opportunities in pumpkin production, as pumpkins are one of the most risk-free products: a drought-tolerant, low-cost plant, a healthy vegetable that can be eaten fresh in autumn and winter, with diverse gastronomic uses. The fresh pumpkin market is still dominated by the orange variety, where high yields can be achieved during production. The quality of the gray pumpkin market, similar to previous years, is very heterogeneous. Many people are looking for good quality baking pumpkins, which can only be reliably obtained by purchasing directly from producers. This year, there is practically no crop loss in intensive, irrigated plantations, primarily of the orange variety. In the case of Nagydobos pumpkins, a harvest of over 50 percent can be harvested from extensively cultivated areas, and the amount of the lost crop would not have been very good anyway due to late binding. The biggest problem of the gray pumpkin market is that production is carried out with poor production technology and a quantitative approach. The seeds of the Winter Embers pumpkin first appeared on the market in the spring of 2025, but only producers who undertake to adhere to strict production technology and do not sell quality pumpkins to traders or store chains can access the seeds. Commercial-scale producers are expected to sell in a short supply chain, from the site to the end consumer: market sales, community use, factory kitchens, consumer communities. Winter Embers is not only a new pumpkin variety, but also a concept protected as intellectual property. With decades of selection work, the quality that the brand has built up in recent years has been preserved on the genetic background of the old Nagydobos flavor. In the autumn season, there are already 25 sales points across the country where you can buy the guaranteed excellent flavor of the Winter Embers pumpkin.

In addition, pumpkins can now be ordered online, and the producer sends them by express mail at a predetermined time

Although everything is in place to significantly increase consumption, the heterogeneous quality probably also plays a role in the stagnation of pumpkin sales. The quantity produced is otherwise used up in Hungary, and there is no significant export or import on the pumpkin market. At the same time, consuming pumpkins is of paramount importance for maintaining our health, as it contains numerous vitamins and minerals – calcium, zinc, manganese, iron, as well as vitamin C, A, and B1, B2 and B6 vitamins.

NAK