NAK: Hungarian horseradish markets are stable

According to the announcement, the market position of Hungarian horseradish was only weakened for a short time by Chinese horseradish, which is cheaper but of much lower quality. Domestic producers are not expected to have any problems with sales in the future, as Hungarian horseradish is popular in the processing industry, and its most significant buyers are Germany, Poland and the Scandinavian countries. The annual harvest is 11-12 thousand tons, making Hungary the largest producer in the EU and the third largest in the world after China and the United States. Production capacity is currently in line with market demand, as prices are starting to decrease above 8-10 thousand tons, but the demand for raw materials in the canning and pharmaceutical industries is expected to increase. 90-95 percent of the domestic harvest is purchased by the processing industry, the most important sales period is Easter – they wrote. According to the announcement, the production area in Hungary is close to 1,470 hectares, of which 1,427 hectares are located in Hajdú-Bihar County, and Hajdúság horseradish has had a protected designation of origin in the EU since 2009. Domestic production is made more difficult by the fact that irrigation is needed for higher yields and better quality, which can reach 20 percent of the total cost in drought years. However, the investment is repaid, with proper care, the proportion of first-class goods is 80 percent. Domestically, the harvest period has ended, and the horseradish is then stored in cold storage. The main roots are put on the market, the lateral roots are used as propagation material for the following year’s production, and replanting has begun – they added.

MTI