SITUATION AND PROSPECTS OF VEGETABLE GROWING AND BREEDING IN HUNGARY

Vegetables as well as agricultural crops had been produced in large-scale farms, mostly in coop farms, before the political change in 1989. In the last 6 years the majority of coop farms have ceased to exist and private farms have taken their place. Consequently, vegetable growing has broken up into small areas averaging 0,5–1 ha/family. In itself this is not a problem. After all, growers in Holland, the model horticultural country, haven't much more. Our difficulties are due to lack of infrastructure, and development is badly hindered by our financial position.

Hungarian vegetable growing has always had and still has three duties to fulfill:

1. to supply the population with fresh vegetables,
2. to supply the processing industry with raw material, and
3. to utilize export possibilities.

In Hungary there were and still are vegetable species grown on large areas (tomato, pepper, onion, bean, peas) and others of smaller importance the cultivation of which depends on dietary customs (eggplant, leek etc.)

Area distribution of vegetables species in ha

Peas	16000	Sweet Corn	15000
Bean	12000	Onion	9000
Tomato	8900	Watermelon	8100
Pepper	8050	Pepper for powder	4500
Carrot	5000	Cabbage	4000
Cucumber	3500	Parsley	2500
Beet	1500	Muskmelon	1500
Cauliflower	1250	Savoy cabbage	1100
Kohlrabi	1100	Others	2000

Due to our geographic position, vegetables are mostly grown in fields, but in the winter and spring months also in greenhouses and under plastic.

In Hungary, greenhouses occupy only 120–160 ha and they are mostly 10 years or more old. The area under plastics - heated and unheated together - comes to 2800–3000 ha. 80% of greenhouses and 70% of heated plastic houses are found in the southern regions (Szentes-Szeged).

Download Adobe Acrobat Reader (free software to read PDF files)