Syngenta: Hungarian sweet corn production in the top 10 in Europe

By: STA Date: 2025. 08. 06. 10:00

Hungarian sweet corn production maintained its leading position in Europe in 2025, overtaking France. Hungary remains one of the most important players in the market, although the sector faces numerous challenges, including extreme weather, drought and decreasing sown area, Syngenta told MTI on Wednesday.

(Photo: Pixabay)

The Swiss agricultural company explained in its analysis that the sown area in Hungary decreased from 35 thousand hectares to 21-23 thousand hectares in five years, the 2024 harvest approached 400 thousand tons, while in 2025, forecasts indicate 300-350 thousand tons, closer to the lower limit in the event of a significant drought.

The majority of the harvested sweet corn is processed in domestic canning and freezing plants, and the main export markets are the United Kingdom, Russia and Japan, in addition to the EU countries, they noted

Increasing the proportion of irrigated areas, modernizing outdated irrigation systems, and growing modern varieties adapted to the needs of the processing industry are key to maintaining the competitiveness of domestic producers, emphasized Róbert Hajdú, an expert at Syngenta, according to the statement. Early-sown stands without irrigation performed less well, yield averages are fluctuating and fall short of usual, the expert said, adding that under current climatic conditions, irrigation has become almost essential. According to Róbert Hajdú, after a temporary decline, sweet corn production can be expected to recover in the coming years and production volumes may rise to the level of a few years ago.

MTI