November 21 2007, 10:16

Apple prices beat records in Hungary because of dramatic production decline

Hungarian producers will be able to harvest only around 251,000 tons of apples in 2007, or 53% as less than 2006, when apple production amounted to 537,000 tons, USDA informs. The supply reduced more than twofold (on 286,000 tons), this fact was sure to influence the prices. At the present moment apple prices are already twice as high than a year ago.

To the opinion of the analysts of "Agrooglyad: Vegetables and Fruits" weekly, the upper limit of price growth for apples has not been reached yet on Hungarian market, because Hungarian producers can hardly count on Polish apples this year. That's why the further price growth is inevitable. Hungarian producers of apple concentrate are already informing about the threefold reduced production volumes.

Most part of cultivation areas in Hungarian orchards is occupied with the apples of Jonathan type - around 55% of all plantations are allocated to these varieties. They are: 32.5% of Jonathan variety and 13.5% of Idared variety. Also, 13.5% of areas are occupied with the apples of Delicious type, 6.8% of which are of Starking variety. Apples of Golden type occupy 21.1% of cultivation areas.

We'd like to remind that the questions of production, storage, post harvest handling, sorting, packing and marketing of apples will be in focus of attention in the framework of the fourth international conference "Fruits and Vegetables of Ukraine 2007. Meeting New Leader" on the 4th-6th of December 2007 in Kyiv on the territory of the National Complex "Expocenter of Ukraine". In particular, all conference participants will have an opportunity to see the novelties of the technologies of apple orchard protection from frosts, drip irrigation systems and monitoring of orchard condition, modern approaches of orchard diseases and pests control, advanced sorting machines for apples, "Phytomag" technology (it let preserve the produce quality even in the storages which are not equipped with CA systems), approaches to the construction of modern fruit and vegetable storages and many other issues. Naturally, all producers will take an advantage to meet with the leading apple buyers from Ukraine and other countries, to learn about the forecast of market development, and the experience exchange with the colleagues.

We'd like to remind that there are only three days left till the end of registration of the participants of the conference and wholesale-retail center!