A challenging market: why is it difficult to sustainably grow sweet potatoes in Hungary?

By: Trademagazin Date: 2024. 10. 08. 11:50

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Although the popularity of sweet potatoes and the demand for them are constantly growing in Hungary, the domestic supply is not able to fully satisfy the needs. As a result, you can find mainly imported sweet potatoes on store shelves. Dávid Márkus, the founder of the production company Hékás, said in an interview with Agrárszektor that Hungarian sweet potato producers face many difficulties that hinder sustainable production.

Cultivating sweet potatoes in Hungary involves more challenges than it might seem at first. Although the sweet potato is a resistant plant, it does not require too much water, but drought has a serious effect on the quality of the crop. Márkus emphasized that irrigation is not a solution in all cases either, since the amount of water available is often not enough to cover the entire area, and atmospheric drought also makes production difficult.

Although there are many support programs available in agriculture, not all producers benefit from them. According to Dávid Márkus, foreign prices are also influential factors in the domestic market, which make the situation of farmers more difficult. The young producer, together with his wife, is still determined to bring a new color to the Hungarian market and popularize the sweet potato through the Hékás enterprise, despite the fact that many people have already tried, but not everyone has succeeded in successful production.