There is a big problem with Hungarian apples, we need to prepare for a serious shortage

By: Trademagazin Date: 2022. 08. 10. 12:34

Instead of the previous average yield of 5-600 thousand tons, apple growers in Hungary expect 350 thousand tons this year, which is a third less than last year. In addition to spring frosts, drought years also aggravate the situation; as experts say: the trees don’t have the energy to grow the flower buds that ensure next year’s harvest.

The weakest apple harvest of the past 10 years is expected this year, said the president of the FruitVeB Hungarian Vegetable-Fruit Trade Organization and Product Council in Inforádio. According to Ferenc Apáti, around 350,000 tons of apples are expected this year, which will not even reach half of the 2018 harvest of 800,000 tons.

According to the expert, the spring frosts are primarily responsible for the low quantity: about 70 percent of the apple-growing areas are located in the northeastern part of the country, where the temperature was -2, -6 degrees Celsius for three consecutive nights following Easter, which in May-June was followed by a very significant fruit drop, which was only exacerbated by the drought since last summer.

However, according to Ferenc Apáti, the price of apples on the domestic market will not necessarily be much higher due to the crop loss. As he said, a good apple harvest is expected in the European Union: the forecast is 12.2 million tons. According to the president of FruitVeB, the Poles will have a particularly good crop, and with their 4.5 million tons this year, they will provide more than a third of the EU’s apple crop.

The full article can be read on Infostart’s website…