Hungary: Domestic cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli production losing ground
Broccoli has also become more expensive. There is a capital market where a kilo reached 880 HUF (about 2.85 Euro) last week, although of course, this is not the average price. In most places, the price oscillates between 400 and 600 HUF (1.30-1.95 Euro) per kilo. The price of cabbage has also increased considerably; last week, 400-500 HUF (1.30-1.62 Euro) were offered for them in the Budapest markets, while customers could have paid half of that a year earlier.
Behind this significant rise in prices is the smaller production. Mr Ledó Ferenc, head of the Hungarian Fruit and Vegetable Interprofessional Organization and Product Board (FruitVeb), told the Hungarian Times that there have been issues with pests that have made the producers' work difficult. In the past few years, greenhouses have reported many cases of whitefly, whose favourite plants are cabbage and cauliflower, but also broccoli. The biggest problem is how difficult it is to protect the crops.
There is no product on the market that can effectively keep the insect away and ensure that the food safety criteria are adhered to. Although in the last few years, domestic cabbage growers have faced similar problems, they have managed to breed tolerant varieties that are not attacked by pests. Unfortunately, FruitVeb's president does not see this happening with cauliflowers.
However, one of the biggest enemies of domestic cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli is not pests, but the climatic conditions, which are unsuitable for the cultivation of these plants. This, according to Mr Ledó Ferenc, entails that today it is still very difficult to produce quality goods in the country.
According to the expert, the worst thing is that summer temperatures do not go below 17-18 degrees, and a slightly cooler weather is essential for the good development of the products.
For this reason, the production area has fallen sharply in recent years. According to FruitVeb's data, there are now 250-300 hectares devoted to cabbages, while in 2010 the production area still reached 550 hectares. As for cauliflower and broccoli, instead of the former 1,100 hectares, now growers produce them on 600 hectares. According to Mr Ledó Ferenc, however, the situation is not so bad, as the yields have improved since 2010, so despite the 40 percent reduction in the acreage, the harvested volume has fallen by just 25-30 percent in the last seven years.
As domestic production is decreasing, consumption is growing, so the country needs more and more imports. While in 2016 Hungary exported 240 tonnes of cauliflower, the volume arriving from abroad amounted to 10,600 tonnes. Italian and French cauliflowers are usually the most imported. According to Mr Ledó Ferenc, in the future, the Hungarian market will have to rely increasingly on imports, as the decline in domestic production is expected to continue in the next few years. If there is no improvement in climatic conditions, cauliflower production may gradually decline.
Source: agronaplo.hu
