Strawberry shortage on the markets in mid-May – weather caused serious damage

By: STA Date: 2025. 05. 16. 09:00

By mid-May, a noticeable strawberry shortage had developed on the domestic markets – and this is not just a Hungarian phenomenon, it affects the whole of Europe. This year’s spring frosts caused significant damage to the strawberry crops, and in addition, the pollination of the flowers did not take place properly, which led to the appearance of numerous distorted, so-called “stamen-laden”, small-sized fruits.

(Photo: Pixabay)

In our country, the picking of strawberries grown in plastic bags will soon end, and the harvesting of the open-field crop is expected to begin within a week. Although it was possible to avoid the two cultivation methods overlapping in time, both types were severely affected by the weather: due to spring frosts, strong temperature fluctuations, and the warm period during flowering (which caused the pistils to dry out), significant crop losses are being experienced. Pollination problems are particularly evident – not only in a single variety, but also in almost all common varieties, such as Clery, Joly and Claudia.

As a result of the aforementioned factors, the price of strawberries has increased significantly compared to the level at the beginning of May

Imports cannot significantly alleviate the supply shortage, as the volume of imports is also below usual. The wholesale price of domestic Class I strawberries is currently around 2,500–3,000 forints, while Class II fruit is typically priced at over 2,000 forints. The price of imported strawberries starts at 1,600 forints, but the selection is quite limited. Although a moderate price decrease can be expected with the start of outdoor picking, the extent of this is uncertain. In some growing areas, producers have reported dramatic crop losses of 70–90%, which indicates a continued shortage of supply.

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