Frosts caused significant damage to open ground strawberry plantations in April, with damage nationwide estimated at 30 percent as reported in Monday's edition of Magyar Idők (The Hungarian Times) by Mr Ledó Ferenc, head of the Hungarian Fruit and Vegetable Interprofessional Organisation (FruitVeB).
In Somogy County, where most of the strawberry fields are located, up to 60-80 percent of the crops have been lost to the cold. He added that if rainy weather comes after the cold, the strawberries will likely become affected by rot, causing a shortage of high-quality Hungarian strawberries which would certainly affect prices.
In any case, according to the president of FruitVeB, strawberries grown under cover will record no significant changes in terms of quantity or quality, so growers are optimistic regarding this year's season. In the market, besides the continuing presence of imports, with the majority of strawberries coming from Italian and Spanish exporters and sold for 700-1,000 HUF per kilo (2.22-3.17 Euro) there have also appeared the first Hungarian strawberries grown under cover, which cost 1500-2200 HUF (4.75-6.97 Euro).
Source - 24.hu
