The Hungarian sour cherry got around the Russian embargo

“Due to the Russian import ban introduced last year, it was likely that the sour cherry export will fall back, but actually more than twice of last year’s amount was sold. In spite of the embargo, we were able to deliver sour cherry to Russia via bypass roads, and the amount of cherry exported to Poland and Romania has increased as well” – Ferenc Ledo, president of the  Hungarian Interprofessional Organisation for Fruit and Vegetables (FruitVeb), told Magyar Idők, writes index.hu.

Approximately 62-65.000 tons of cherry was harvested this year, and while usually 10-12.000 tons of cherry is exported every year, this number was 20-25.000 tons according to FruitVeb’s calculations.  According to Ledo, a big part of this amount was illegally exported, as tons of cherries were transported to Romania in cars, to trick the EKAER (Electronic Trade and Transport Control System). The goods were later loaded to trucks and transported to Bucharest.

Ferenc Ledo added that although the fruit industry as a whole had a successful business year, the owners who did not water their plantations could not have the same quality and quantity of fruits like those who did.

based on an article of index.hu
translated by Adrienn Sain

Source: index.hu