Hail has caused significant damage east of the Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county, in the districts of Csenger and Fehérgyarmat, reported the president of the Hungarian Fruit and Vegetable Interprofessional Organisation and Product Board (FruitVeB), Ledó Ferenc, last Friday.
Mr Ferenc stated that around 280-300 hectares of cucumbers were almost completely destroyed. According to experts, 75 percent of the plantations may recover from the ravages of the ice, but a significant yield loss is expected.
The president of FruitVeB reminded 95 percent of the cucumbers intended for canning are supplied by small farms and family gardens and run by local authorities within the framework of the public works programs. Because of this, the hail damage could result in major social problems, given the expected loss of income.
The two districts have a total of about 4,000 hectares of orchards, of which about 2,800 hectares are devoted to apples, 500 to cherries and 300 to plums, among other crops. About 70 percent of the plantations have been affected by the hail. The extent of damage oscillates between 30 and 100 percent. In cases where the shoots and buds have been hit by the ice (about 20 percent of the plantations), next year's crop may have also been affected, stated Mr Ferenc.
Source - www.freshplaza.com
