Increasing Fruit Prices Adversely Affect Hungarians

A recent survey shows that half of the population in Hungary could afford to purchase less fruit this year than in the first half of 2019.

There are several reasons: tis year was unfavorable for Hungarian fruit production in all respects, while the crisis situation caused by the coronavirus epidemic put the Hungarians in a more difficult financial situation.

Due to climate change, rising labor costs and declining EU subsidies, people can say goodbye to the era of cheap fruit in Hungary. The effect of the change in weather conditions can be felt already this year: due to the late spring frosts, the drought in April and the rainy summer, an average of 50-80% of domestic fruit production was lost. And experts say the previous level of yield would be in vain for next year, as the negative effects of the other two factors can no longer be offset.

The era of cheap fresh fruit is over! That is how agricultural economist and agricultural entrepreneur György Raskó described the situation in a recent interview . He predicts that the consumer prices of strawberries, raspberries, currants,peaches, apricots, cherries and sour cherries will be high at the end of the picking season, partly because labor is becoming more expensive, partly because there will be no sufficient manual force to pick the fruit. In addition, the era of cheap Ukrainian guest workers has now come to an end in Poland, which has now become the leading producer of several types of fruit, so imported fruit will also come at high prices.

A recent survey conducted by Pulzus Kutató sought to answer the question of how much Hungarians' enthusiasm to buy fruit had fallen due to rising prices.

Not surprisingly, half of Hungarians say they bought less fruit this year than in previous years, 23% say they bought more, while a quarter of those who completed the survey bought roughly the same amount as before. Only 2% of Hungarians do not buy fruit in stores.