Apple growers in the Hungarian county of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg are in trouble. Due to last week's hail they will not be able to sell this year's crop. The rain also had some impact on early strawberries, as it facilitated the appearance of grey mould.
A total of 21 municipalities have been affected, as reported by Ledo Ferenc, president of the Hungarian Fruit and Vegetable Interprofessional Organization and Marketing Board (FruitVeB). He reported that the cucumber plantations in some towns have been completely destroyed. Growers suffered huge losses, but luckily cucumbers are fast-growing plants, so it will still be possible to salvage the current season.
This, however, will not be the case for apples in Szabolcs, where the hailstorm spoiled this year's production; the fruit in many places simply split in two. Fortunately, the storm didn't cause damage to the branches, so the production for the next few years is not in jeopardy, as reported by Ferenc.
Czerván György, of the Ministry of Agriculture, stated that growers have up to 15 days to send their claims and that HUF 21-22 billion (over 67 million Euro) are available for compensations, although this amount is flexible.
Source - http://www.freshplaza.com
