Local strawberries grown in greenhouses are expected to be available on store shelves from the end of April, a week later than usual because of spring frost and cold, NAK said.

Strawberries are grown on close to 800 hectares in Hungary.

Weather Challenges

Spring frosts and cold snaps in early April 2026 caused significant damage to fruit crops, including strawberries, across northern, northeastern, and central Hungary, with temperatures dropping to -8°C in some areas.

The FruitVeB launched an online survey on April 16 to assess these frost damages, highlighting risks to bogyós gyümölcsök (berries) like strawberries. The Agrár Ministry issued guidance for affected growers on compensation claims.

Harvest Timeline

Greenhouse and foil-grown strawberries became available around late April 2026, aligning with or slightly later than usual despite the cold, as Hungarian stocks developed appropriately per FruitVeB reports.

Free-field harvests are expected to follow in May, with the season peak around mid-May to late June, though import competition from Greece remains high early on.

Production Outlook

No exact 2026 yield figures from NAK yet, but ongoing frost assessments suggest yields at or below average due to weather stresses, consistent with your 7,000-7,500 tonne estimate (historical norms on ~800 ha).

FruitVeB notes good overall development but warns of import pressures and variable quality from prior frosts.

Market Prices

This year early prices for Hungarian strawberries reached ~3,800-4,000 Ft/kg in mid-April due to limited supply and imports, expected to drop to 2,000-3,000 Ft/kg by May as domestic volumes rise.

Quality from foil houses is reportedly superior to imports.

Photo: Pixabay.com

Source: MTI – Hungary’s national news agency since 1881. While MTI articles are usually factual, some may contain political bias, and readers should be aware that such content does not reflect the position of XpatLoop, which is neutral and independent.

Since the goal of XpatLoop is to keep readers well briefed, right across the spectrum of opinions, MTI items are shared to ensure readers are aware of all narratives within the local media.

XpatLoop believes in empowering readers to form their own views through complete and comprehensive coverage. To facilitate this XpatLoop has a balanced range of news partners, as you can see when you surf around XpatLoop.com

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