New crisis approaching Hungary: poor quality, very expensive onions will rule markets
Onion prices skyrocketed in the shops of Hungary in the last few months. However, that is just the beginning. Thanks to the summer droughts of 2022, Hungary needs to import a lot of onions from abroad. As a result, its price is expected to skyrocket this year, which will affect restaurant prices since onion is one of the base ingredients in traditional Hungarian dishes.
Hungarian onion disappearing
According to atv.hu, experts calculate a 50-60 percent price rise in the case of the onion by this spring. That is because of the summer droughts in 2022. As a result, Hungarian producers will sell significantly lower amounts of onion, so we must import it from abroad. As a result, the price of the onion per kg will reach HUF 1,000 (EUR 2.6) in just weeks in Hungary.
József Papp, a Hungarian trader, said the price of the onion stands at around HUF 500 (EUR 1.3), but that would increase to HUF 7-800 (EUR 1.8-1.9) per kilo soon.
Barna Forgács, the CEO of the Agrárgazdaság Ltd., added that the permanent water shortage caused substantial fallouts. But that is only one reason for the price rise. The other cause is that the farm area of the onion in Hungary is decreasing year after year.
Poorer quality, much more expensive
In Hungary, farmers grow red and purple onions on 1,300 hectares. That is just a fragment the Hungarian producers used decades ago. Therefore, Hungary currently imports onions from Austria. Its quality is poorer, and it is more expensive. Furthermore, traders must pay in euros, which is problematic because of the weak forint, Mr Forgács highlighted.
Onion is one of the base ingredients in Hungarian gastronomy. Therefore, most people will not abandon it despite the high prices and the poor quality. A citizen told ATV News that he was sad about the skyrocketing prices. But onion serves as the base of almost all dishes. Thus, he tries to buy it where the quality and the price matrix are the most beneficial.
In 2022, food price inflation reached 45 percent in Hungary. Eggs, fruits and vegetables faced the highest inflation rate, meaning their price doubled.
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Source: atv.hu