New perspectives in domestic rosehip cultivation

The demand for domestic rose hips is unbroken, and demand has resulted in a significant expansion of production in the past decade. As a result of planting applications and continuous demand, the domestic production area has grown from a few hundred hectares to 5,600 hectares in the past decade, most of which is under organic cultivation, as revealed at the rosehip professional day held in Leányvár, organized by the Medicinal Plant Association and Product Council and the National Chamber of Agriculture.

The diverse uses of rosehips – in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries – provide a stable background for production and processing. The future clearly belongs to plantations that provide a uniform commodity base – as opposed to the collection of wild stocks – which provide a constant quality and quantity of raw materials for the processing industry.

The medicinal and fruit tea market segment – ​​along with the continuous demand – is slowly becoming saturated. Consequently, continuous and dynamic innovation is essential to ensure sales. The sector must increasingly be directed towards processed products. This requires the development of capacities for the production of extracts, jams, syrups, and soft drinks.  The background for innovation is provided by the currently ongoing demand, and on the other hand, in the coming years, it is hoped that the raw materials necessary for product production will also be available, as the new plantations planted in 2021/2022 will soon bear fruit.

Organic rosehip cultivation not only brings economic benefits, but also creates significant ecological and secondary value, which has a beneficial effect on the environment of the plantations. Through sustainable farming practices, cultivation contributes to increasing biodiversity and pollinator populations, as well as soil conservation.

The new fruit-bearing rosehip variety called “Fertődi parázs” was also presented at the professional day, which has a high flesh ratio, high beta-carotene content and powdery mildew tolerance.