Due to the impact of spring frosts, the Hungarian strawberry production will be lower than last year and prices will be higher, warn Hungarian specialists. According to estimates of the National Chamber of Agriculture (NAK), the production will fall by about 30 percent.
Most of the strawberries in Hungary are grown in the provinces of Bacs-Kiskun, in the south of the country, and in Peshtany. It was in these areas that winter and spring frosts caused the most losses in open ground crops.
The owner of one of the plantations in Nagyrede (northeast of Budapest), Laszlo Benedek, told a newspaper last week that his first strawberry flowers froze during Easter frosts, when temperatures fell to minus 4 degrees Celsius, but the plantations also suffered hail from 12 May. "We will be able to harvest 50-60 percent of the potential yield," he stated.
Losses in crops are reflected in the price of strawberries. According to data from the Agricultural Research Institute (AKI), the price of these fruits has reached an average of 1,938 HUF (about 6.29 Euro) per kilo in recent weeks, which is 23 percent more than in the same period last year.
According to NAK data, strawberries are grown in Hungary on an area of 800 hectares, half of which are cultivated under foil or in greenhouses.
The average strawberry yield in Hungary is 8-10 tonnes per year, but due to the weather conditions for outdoor crops, there can be significant changes from one year to the next.
Hungary is also an importer of strawberries. In recent years, the country has been buying about 3 thousand tonnes per year, mainly from Spain (about 50%) and Greece (about 25%).
Source: portalspozywczy.pl
