The Hungarian apple production is in a bad situation. The share of it used for industrial processing is very high, the proportion of modern plantations is low and the acreage is increasingly reduced, according to the Hungarian Vegetable and Fruit Interprofessional Organization and Product Council (FruitVeB).
Hungary's annual apple production amounts to an average of 550-600 thousand tonnes, but in the last 10-15 years it has fluctuated between 200 and 920 thousand tonnes. It is consequently difficult to guarantee a stable supply, which is one of the basic obstacles to building and maintaining markets. Furthermore, two-thirds of the production is used for industrial purposes.
While about 41 thousand hectares were devoted to apple cultivation in 2002, the figure now stands at about 26,000 hectares, so about 40 percent of the acreage has been lost. Besides, about 40 percent of apple plantations are outdated and potentially uncompetitive, reports the organization. Only about 20 percent has state-of-the-art, high-quality, competitive plantations.
This year, the Hungarian production, with a weaker quality than average, is expected to amount to about 150,000 tonnes of apples for fresh consumption and 350,000 tonnes of apples for processing.
Source: agronaplo.hu
