Watermelon growers in South Békés have suffered a worse-than-expected campaign due to the rainy weather in mid-August, said the president of the National Watermelon Growers Association last Thursday.
Oravecz Tamás says that nearly 30% of the fruit, at least 20 tonnes per hectare, have been lost.
He said that growers also received lower average prices, reaching only 18-20 Forint per kg during the final weeks of the season. The average price in 2014 was of only HUF 35-38 per kilogram, while in 2013 it was of around HUF 50.
Tamás noted that imports from supermarket chains have also contributed to knocking off the price of the domestic produce at the beginning of the season. He added that, in addition to the Russian ban, the export sector has additionally been hit by diseases due to heavy rains, causing anthracnose.
According to Thomas Oravecz, given the results, we can say that the fragile national watermelon programme has not succeeded, despite the government's efforts to popularise the fruit.
He added that, "just like it happens with other fresh vegetables and fruits, domestic watermelons are losing positions in the domestic market this year. Supermarket chains continue to buy cheap imported goods of inferior quality in order to maintain high margins. Producers will have suffered a significant loss of capital, which negatively affects the financial year 2015."
Source: orientpress.hu
