A total of 1.8 million tonnes of vegetables are expected to be harvested in Hungary this year; this is about 100,000 tonnes more than last year, or a 5 to 6% increase, as reported by Ledó Ferenc, president of the Hungarian Fruit and Vegetable Association and Product Council (FruitVeB). In 2017, greenhouse growers have a production area of approximately 3,600 hectares, similar to 2016. Meanwhile, the area of open-ground vegetables is somewhat higher than last year and stands at around 80,000 hectares, compared to 76,000 hectares last year.
Among the cold-resistant crops, the cabbage, lettuce and radish campaigns were completed by mid-May. The market was balanced, production was not affected by weather or plant protection problems, and producer prices were better than in the past few years.
In the case of the warmth-seeking plants, like peppers, tomatoes or cucumbers, the very early (heated) crops were affected by the extremely cold January and February, so, the harvest started 2-3 weeks later, in the middle of April. Producer prices were higher from the beginning of the year until the end of April and have since been lower than last year.
Also, the green peas harvest is approaching its end, with a production totalling nearly 80,000 tonnes.
Lastly, the peak of the watermelon harvest is expected to be reached next week, 5-10 days earlier than last year. The picking of melons started in early June and most of the production is sold on domestic markets.
Source: agrarszektor.hu