Springtime frost killed Hungarian peach and apricot pálinka?

80 per cent fewer peaches are growing this year than average, and spring frosts have caused significant damage, according to the National Chamber of Agriculture (NAK) survey. Climate change is an increasing threat, and in the long run, the establishment of new, more resilient plantations, the optimisation of variety use, and the spread of modern cultivation methods cannot be avoided.

Farmers were able to report the April frost damage until May 17, said the Secretary of State for Agriculture and Rural Development at the Ministry of Agriculture (MoD) to Portfolio.hu.

As it turns out, peach and apricot yields are severely threatened this year.

NAK co-organised a peach trade meeting and variety presentation on June 25, 2021, in Torda, together with the Agricultural Genetic Resources Directorate (NÉBIH-MGEI) of the National Food Chain Safety Agency. Here, information was provided to farmers on modern variety use, treatment options for frost-damaged plantations, and modern cultivation systems.

Dr Béla Mártonffy, President of the National Department of Horticulture and Supplier Industry of NAK, emphasised:

Peach cultivation can be successful in Hungary, but only if the work is done in the right place, with the right variety and the right growing technology. Long-term global climate change is also a serious challenge for the horticultural sector, requiring the planting of more resilient fruit varieties. […]

Due to the extreme weather, it would be topical to rethink cultivation, to include varieties customary to the domestic climate, from which the varieties produced are better suited to domestic conditions.