Hungarian frost boost Greek peaches

The cultivation of apricots and peaches in Hungary was hit hard, with most of the production being destroyed by the frost that hit the country in early April.

“Greek producers and extroverted Greek companies could take advantage of the reduced Hungarian production and export Greek peaches and apricots with greater capacity”, it is pointed out in a relevant information document of the Office of Economic and Commercial Affairs of the Embassy of Greece.

Greek exports of apricots, cherries and peaches to Hungary have been on the rise in recent years. From € 491 thousand in 2017, they exceeded € 3.2 million in 2020, recording an increase of 555%.

More specifically, the upward trend in exports is as follows:

– Apricots, which in 2020 reached a value of € 88 thousand (from just € 1,820 in 2018), and

– Peaches and nectarines, which in 2020 exceeded in value € 1.6 million (from € 460 thousand in 2017), recording an increase of 269%.

In fact, according to the Vice President of the Fruit and Vegetable Council of Hungary (FruitVeB), Mr. Péter Kelemen, most of the domestic production of apricots and peaches was destroyed by the recent (early April) frost, which hit the country. He avoided mentioning how the prices of these fruits will be shaped οn the Hungarian market, stressing that these (prices) are influenced by both domestic and international factors (international market, currency rates, agricultural production of foreign countries, etc.). He added that adverse weather conditions will also negatively affect domestic production of cherries, apples and pears.