The decline in Hungarian grape production may stop, according to an international agricultural company

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In its analysis, the Swiss agricultural company noted that the shrinkage of grape-growing areas in Hungary has continued in recent years: over the past five years, the total area of ​​plantations has decreased by nearly 5 thousand hectares.

Currently, grapes are officially grown on about 58 thousand hectares in Hungary, according to data from the National Council of Mountain Communities

At the same time, the industry is confident that the unfavorable trend will reverse and that in the future the ratio of plantings will again exceed that of fellings – emphasized Zoltán Varga, product manager at Syngenta, according to the statement.

This year’s extreme weather is making its impact felt

The development of the grapevine was sluggish during the spring, especially with early varieties, there were fertility problems. In 2024, 3.73 million tons of grapes were harvested nationwide, which is about 11 percent below the average of the past ten years. This year’s prospects are greatly influenced by weather extremes, especially drought periods, so the expert does not expect a record harvest this year either. However, they added that well-timed protection against pests and pathogens can help prevent or at least mitigate damage. This year, powdery mildew is the biggest challenge, but those who have adhered to strict plant protection discipline currently have no problems with it. In the western part of the country, protection against the grape cicada is the most important in these weeks, but later on, if the drought lasts long, there will be little need for protection. Zoltán Varga emphasized that the quality of domestic grapes will compete with foreign varieties. At the same time, it would be very important to increase the price level in domestic sales in order to make the sector sustainable and economically profitable in the long term, he noted.

MTI