Seed Association: More than 17 million sachets of seeds will find their home this season

(Photo: Pixabay)

The organization highlighted in its statement on Monday: due to the favorable spring weather, work in hobby gardens picked up at the beginning of March; the demand for colorful sachets of seeds that can be purchased in agricultural and gardening stores, multinational food chains, and DIY stores has increased several times. The domestic hobby garden seed supply consists of vegetables and flower varieties from all over the world, but registered in Europe. The total turnover of hobby garden seeds in Hungary amounts to about 5.2 billion forints. The products have become 5-7 percent more expensive than the previous year. Customers spend an average of 3,000 forints, buying 10 colorful bags of seeds per purchase – the organization explained.

In Hungary, kitchen garden cultivation has declined in the past two decades, the country ranks in the middle of Europe

In countries further east of us, home plant cultivation is holding up even better, but further west there are countries from which this occupation has completely disappeared. In Europe, hobby gardening is particularly popular in the Netherlands and Italy, which are considered the leading countries in vegetable cultivation. Árpád Pavelka, a member of the organization’s vegetable section, explained in the statement: in addition to popular flower varieties, domestic customers mostly put classic vegetables, root parsley, carrots, and cucumbers in their baskets. There is also significant interest in herbs, and there is a growing demand for chili peppers in addition to tomatoes. According to experts, the most promising plants for novice gardeners are zucchini and patisson varieties.

The purity and quality of the bagged seeds are guaranteed by the distributor

Small garden seeds distributed in Hungary must be of a quality and marked in accordance with European seed standards. These undergo official certification before being placed on the market, and then the companies carry out germination checks at least once a year – the interprofessional organization indicated.

MTI