Nut prices are rising in Hungary

By: Trademagazin Date: 2024. 09. 13. 11:29

In recent years, the price of walnuts has risen significantly in Hungary, while the harvested quantity did not show a significant increase. Although the area of walnut plantations has expanded in the last ten years, the yield is below the level of international competitors. This phenomenon can be traced back to several factors, including outdated cultivation technology and neglected plantations, reports the Agricultural Sector.

Drastic price increase in recent years

In the last two decades, the price of walnuts has increased fivefold in Hungary. While in 2010 a kilogram of cleaned walnuts cost HUF 2,010, in 2023 it was already HUF 5,720 for the same quantity. The continuous increase in prices has been particularly spectacular in recent years: in 2021, the price of walnuts rose from HUF 4,630 to HUF 5,300 in 2022, and then reached HUF 5,720 in 2023.

The difficulties of domestic walnut cultivation

Despite the fact that the area of domestic walnut plantations increased from 6,000 to 9,200 hectares in recent years, the yield did not increase significantly. In 2017, the harvested amount was 7,895 tons, but in 2018 there was a significant decrease, only 5,773 tons of walnuts were harvested. Since then, the yield has not returned to the previous level.

According to experts, the reason for this is that many walnut plantations in Hungary are neglected and the cultivation technology is of a low standard. The size of well-maintained plantations using intensive cultivation does not reach 3,000 hectares in the country, but in them, a yield of up to 3 tons per hectare can be achieved, compared to the general yield average of 1-1.5 tons. International competitors, such as France or the United States, have an average yield of up to 4-5 tons per hectare.