Hungary: High apple prices driven by weak harvest

Hungary is facing a significant increase in apple prices due to a weak European harvest and lower domestic production, reports Világgazdaság. This year’s apple harvest in Hungary is expected to be well below last year’s levels, with an anticipated 330,000 tons, down from 472,000 tons in 2022, marking the second weakest harvest in the last decade. As a result, consumer apple prices are expected to rise by 10-15 percent. Additionally, adverse weather conditions, such as droughts, cold spells and hailstorms, have further reduced both the quantity and quality of the apple crop. FruitVeB, the Hungarian Interprofessional Organization for Fruit and Vegetable, notes that these conditions have led to a situation where 10-20 thousand tons of apples might be diverted from the food segment to the industrial segment, causing a significant loss in the food market. The current state of apple farming in Hungary is challenging. The table apple crop is slightly below last year’s level, with around ...