Heatwave hastens end of Hungarian melon season

Published 2022년 9월 9일

Tridge summary

The article highlights the early end of the watermelon and melon seasons in Hungary due to extreme heatwaves, leading to lower yields and higher prices. The heatwaves accelerated the ripening process, resulting in a competition for limited supplies between local demand and European exports. Despite the challenges, growers experienced higher market prices, which helps with the high cultivation costs. However, the future of these crops is uncertain due to increasing costs of plastic and fertilizers, labor shortages, and the closure of fertilizer factories. Melon cultivation in Hungary has produced limited harvests and has struggled to supply the local market, resulting in minimal exports to Slovakia.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

The Hungarian watermelon season, as well as the smaller melon season, ended almost half a month earlier than usual. Yields were low due to the intense heat wave that spread across Europe this summer. "The local Hungarian demand for watermelons and the export to the rest of Europe competed for the available quantities. Although the quality was high, the lower yield and an earlier than planned season closure led to higher prices. The five heat waves accelerated ripening and thus shortened it. season," says László Sándor, melon expert at BASF Vegetable Seeds in Hungary. "In Hungary, the season ended about half a month earlier than usual. For example, at one retailer we saw that the shelf was already empty before August 20, our national holiday. There were no large quantities of watermelons available, not even from Italy or Spain. But then you could still buy good quality watermelons from wholesalers and growers," says Sándor. "Due to the extreme summer heat, both watermelons and ...

Source: AGF