Post-harvest problems: the challenges of the cherry industry
27 Feb 2025
With increasing demands for longer shelf life, parameters such as firmness, colour and dehydration of the stalk are crucial for product acceptance in international markets.
The Hungarian cherry season is compromised: the spring frost wave has severely hit the orchards, with losses of up to 90% in some areas. It is the worst year in the past 25 years.
Devastated harvest: a heavy blow
A bitter spring for Hungary’s cherry sector. Despite preventive measures against the announced frost, the cold wave that struck the country in early April caused devastating damage. According to the FruitVeB association, which represents the Hungarian fruit and vegetable sector, the 2025 harvest will be among the scarcest of the last quarter-century.
The most affected areas were the provinces of Pest, Heves, and Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg, regions historically dedicated to cherry cultivation. Temperatures dropped as low as -8°C, damaging nearly 90% of cherry-growing areas, except for a few more sheltered zones, such as around Lake Balaton.
A sector already at risk
Hungarian cherry production, already subject to strong yield fluctuations and a steady decline in cultivated area – now reduced to around 2,500 hectares – relies 80–90% on semi-intensive orchards, which are more vulnerable to extreme weather. The shortage of labor and high costs of upgrading to more modern growing systems make the sector even more exposed.
Worsening the situation, the so-called “advected frost” – a phenomenon difficult to combat even with the most advanced frost-protection systems – rendered all protection efforts useless, paving the way for severe damage.
Market impact
In normal years, Hungary’s cherry production ranges between 10,000 and 12,000 tons. During severe frost years, like 2020 and 2021, output dropped below 5,000. For 2025, experts predict a similar or even worse scenario, with losses exceeding 80% in many areas.
Foreign trade will also be affected: Hungarian cherry exports and imports – traditionally between 1,200 and 2,000 tons – will face sharp declines.
A situation calling for change
The dramatic toll of this season highlights the urgent need to transform production methods, investing in more resilient and technologically advanced orchards. But without adequate financial support and targeted policies, there is a real risk of progressive abandonment of one of the most iconic crops of the Hungarian orchard landscape.
In the meantime, consumers should brace for very limited availability of cherries and, most likely, a sharp rise in retail prices.
Text and image source: hungarytoday.hu
