Watermelon foreign trade has picked up

By: STA Date: 2025. 08. 26. 09:00

According to data from the Hungarian Central Statistical Office, 171.1 thousand tons of watermelon were harvested in Hungary in 2024 from 3.6 thousand hectares of growing area, which was 37 percent higher than the previous year. According to experts, the watermelon growing area increased by 10 percent to 3.7 thousand hectares in 2025, and according to preliminary expectations, the harvest could be around 170-180 thousand tons.

(Photo: Pixabay)

Watermelon is one of the most significant export vegetables in terms of volume. In 2024, watermelon exports increased by 5 percent to 50.8 thousand tons, while their value decreased by 6 percent to 7.6 billion forints compared to the previous year. The target countries include Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland.

Imports are typical in the supply until the appearance of domestic melons

According to the Central Statistical Office, Hungary’s watermelon imports increased by 18 percent to 14,000 tons in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period of the previous year. The leading supplier of watermelons was Greece, from where 4,920 tons of watermelons arrived, up 42 percent. Italy was in second place among suppliers with 3,980 tons (January–June 2024: 2,890 tons). According to AKI PÁIR data, the Budapest Wholesale Market’s supply before the domestic season included watermelons from Morocco, Greece and Italy. The wholesale price of imported watermelons (505 forints/kilogram) increased by 26 percent in the 19th–27th week of 2025 compared to the same period of the previous year. Domestic watermelons entered the market later than usual this year due to the cool spring, in week 26, when the long-striped type was sold at a price of 525 forints/kilogram. The price of domestic watermelons decreased by 5 percent to 269 forints/kilogram in weeks 26–34 compared to the average for the same period last year.

AKI PÁIR