Despite a stable harvest, increasing import pressure is making the situation of Hungarian watermelons more difficult

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 08. 29. 10:57

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The Hungarian watermelon growing area has increased by ten percent this year, so the expected harvest volume may be around 170-180 thousand tons. This is considered a stable result despite the hectic weather and market challenges, while the season started later than usual. Demand is brisk, and Hungarian melons continue to be a determining factor in the Central European market – writes Agrarszektor.

European market: stagnant production, expanding imports

The largest melon producers in the EU – Spain, Greece and Italy – reported stagnant growing area overall. In Spain, for example, the size of the 20.5 thousand hectare plantation did not change, but the structure of production has changed: the early harvested areas have decreased, while the proportion of late ones has increased. Italian farmers, on the other hand, are struggling with serious problems: in the Brindisi region, neither watermelon nor cantaloupe have been harvested since the end of July due to drought, falling demand and low prices. The purchase price was only 35–40 HUF/kg, which caused serious losses for producers.

The EU remained a net importer: in 2024, 410 thousand tons of watermelons arrived from third countries, compared to 180 thousand tons of exports. In the first half of 2025, imports jumped by 22 percent to 328.7 thousand tons. The largest supplier was Morocco, from which more than 130 thousand tons of melons arrived – 53 percent more than a year earlier.

Hungarian situation: export growth and import pressure

According to KSH data, 171 thousand tons of watermelons were harvested in Hungary in 2024 from 3.6 thousand hectares, which was a 37 percent increase compared to the previous year. This year, the area expanded to 3.7 thousand hectares. Watermelon is one of the most important Hungarian export vegetables in terms of volume: in 2024, exports increased by 5 percent to 50.8 thousand tons, mainly to Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland. At the same time, the value of exports decreased by 6 percent to 7.6 billion forints.

On the import side, until the start of the domestic season, the market was mainly supplied by foreign goods. In the first half of 2025, 14 thousand tons of watermelons arrived, 18 percent more than a year earlier. The largest supplier was Greece with 4.9 thousand tons (+42%), followed by Italy with almost 4 thousand tons.