Hungary: The extreme drought further deepened the crisis in the fruit sector

The effect of this year's historic drought was reflected in the condition of all fruit varieties. Among the fruits grown in the largest quantity, apples are expected to have the worst harvest of the last decade, 300,000 tons, and in the case of cherries, a significant part of the approximately 60,000 tons of fruit did not reach the size required for processing. As a longer-term effect of this year's drought, the process of decreasing domestic fruit-growing areas may accelerate further. In contrast to previous years, this year it was not the late frosts, but the century-long drought that caused outstanding damage to the domestic fruit industry. As a result of the water shortage in the deeper layers of the soil, which has been getting worse since last summer, most of the fruits did not reach the ideal size and content value. According to the FruitVeb Hungarian Vegetable and Fruit Association and Product Council, 42 percent less apples will be harvested this year than last year's ...