FruitVeb: the plum crop will be poor
A weaker-than-average plum harvest of 40,000 to 50,000 tons is expected in Hungary this year – reads a summary published on Tuesday on the website of the FruitVeb Hungarian Vegetable and Fruit Trade Organization and Product Council.

(Photo: Pixabay)
The prospects differ from country to country and from variety to variety, so an exact estimate is difficult for the time being, but in the Transdanubian, Pest and Bács-Kiskun county growing districts, which account for the majority of the growing area, a mostly poor harvest is expected, with a better than average harvest only expected in the northeastern region. The decline is partly due to last year’s drought, as the trees were unable to form sufficient and high-quality flower buds. For a long time it seemed that they would not have many flowers, but the heavy autumn rains helped somewhat, so in the spring the flowering was better than expected. The rainy, cool weather was not conducive to pollination, but the weather was good for the quality of the crop, they wrote.
In Hungary, the area under plum cultivation is almost 6,000 hectares, although 10 years ago it was close to 8,000 hectares
The harvest is 60-65 thousand tons per year, in good years it can be almost 80 thousand tons, but in 2020 it was barely 25 thousand tons. The adverse effect of spring frosts has become increasingly significant in recent years, and crop fluctuations make the market unpredictable. As a result, exports have decreased significantly, from 8-12 thousand tons before 2020 to 2-4 thousand tons. The import is not significant, it has been around 1-2 thousand tons in the last 5 years. About half of the domestic harvest is used by the processing industry – they added.
The main season of plums begins in August, and producer prices have so far been at last year’s level or slightly higher
The raw material for jam and brandy costs HUF 90-120 per kilogram, the raw material for the refrigeration and canning industry costs HUF 120-150, and the net producer price of hand-harvested fresh market plums is HUF 200-300 per kilogram – reads the announcement of FruitVeb.
MTI
Related news
Hungarian melons can regain their lost export markets, according to producer associations
Hungarian melons can regain their export markets, a third of…
Read more >Dramatic sour cherry harvest expected after severe frost damage: sector faces situation not seen in decades
The Hungarian sour cherry season officially starts in mid-June, but…
Read more >Rector of the Agricultural University: change is needed in soil cultivation
Hungary is lagging behind enormously in soil cultivation, change is…
Read more >Related news
NKFH: database launched on smaller packaging
Consumers can find out about products whose packaging has been…
Read more >Temu attacks: the online discount giant would also break into the European food market
After cheap electronics and clothing, the Chinese online marketplace Temu…
Read more >Mondelez has inaugurated its largest solar park in Central and Eastern Europe in Székesfehérvár
Mondelez International officially handed over its new solar park on…
Read more >