This year in Hungary, we expect an even smaller harvest than last year, with a decline of 20-30%. The quantity that can actually be harvested is therefore expected to stand at around 30 thousand tonnes, with a variation of ±10%.
Throughout Europe, sour cherries are mainly intended for the processing industry, while only a negligible quantity of the harvest is marketed on the fresh market. The processed products manufactured in the largest volumes, and also the most relevant to our markets, are frozen sour cherries, sour cherry juice and concentrate, and preserved sour cherries.
Hungary is Europe’s leading producer of preserved sour cherries: with annual production generally ranging between 30 and 60 million jars, corresponding to a raw material requirement of 16-33 thousand tonnes, it holds a market share of 60-70%.
The second-largest producer is Germany, with estimated production of between 15 and 20 million jars and a raw material requirement of 8-11 thousand tonnes. To meet this demand, Germany generally purchases between 5 and 7 thousand tonnes of Hungarian sour cherries.
Three quarters of the preserved sour cherries produced in Hungary are destined for the German market and cover around two thirds of Germany’s total requirement.
The preserved sour cherry market displays the characteristics of a “bilateral monopoly”. On the one hand, almost exclusively Hungarian sour cherries are suitable for the production of preserves. Only small quantities are imported into Hungary from Moldova, Poland or other countries, while German canning plants process part of their domestic production in addition to Hungarian raw material.
On the other hand, around 60% of Hungarian sour cherry production can be sold only to the Hungarian and German canning industries. Consequently, Hungarian production and the canning industries of Hungary and Germany are strongly and mutually dependent on one another, playing a dominant role in price setting at European level.
The situation is completely different in the European market for frozen sour cherries, juice and concentrate. The largest producers are Turkey, Poland and Serbia, which together produce and process between 400 and 500 thousand tonnes of sour cherries in an average year.
These countries allocate their production, in varying but approximately equal proportions, to the manufacture of concentrate and frozen sour cherries, while they do not participate significantly in the preserved sour cherry market.
The Hungarian juice and frozen products industry plays a marginal role in these markets. In the shadow of the three major producers, its European share is negligible, standing at just 2 to 4%. It therefore has no significant influence on price formation and is essentially forced to adapt to the prices set by the three main players in the European market.
Last year, the European sour cherry market was characterised by exceptional demand conditions and prices never recorded before, equal to three or four times the average of the previous three years.
This situation was caused by the depletion, already at the beginning of the season, of European stocks of preserved sour cherries, frozen sour cherries and concentrate, compounded by a particularly poor harvest.
Almost all the main European sour cherry-producing countries suffered significant losses due to spring frosts. In Turkey, 76 thousand tonnes were harvested, compared with the usual 180-200 thousand tonnes. In Serbia, production stopped at 79 thousand tonnes, compared with the forecast 100-150 thousand tonnes, while 144 thousand tonnes were harvested in Poland, 20% less than a good production level.
It should nevertheless be added that, at the beginning of the season, Polish forecasts still indicated production of only 80-90 thousand tonnes. Once again, therefore, the estimates proved to be seriously inaccurate, significantly influencing the market: prices, initially relatively high, gradually declined, until they had halved between the beginning and the end of the season.
In 2025, Hungarian sour cherry production was at the upper end of the 30-40 thousand tonne range forecast by FruitVeB, reaching around 40 thousand tonnes.
Of this total:
Of the exported quantities, 5,300 tonnes were sent to Germany, 2,000 tonnes to Poland and 1,900 tonnes to Austria.
2025 was therefore one of the years with the lowest Hungarian production ever recorded. The harvest was around 40% below the national production potential of 60-65 thousand tonnes and 20% below the 51 thousand tonnes recorded in 2024, a year already considered weak.
In Hungary, spring frosts have once again caused very significant production losses, despite flowering having been particularly abundant following last year’s poor production.
The article dedicated to the damage caused by the frosts is available here: https://fruitveb.hu/a-2026-evi-tavaszi-fagykarok-elozetes-jelentes-es-figyelemfelhivas/
The extent of the losses varies considerably depending on the area and variety, but the most significant damage is generally recorded in the north-eastern part of the country, where 55% of the sour cherry orchards are located, and in the central areas, particularly in the counties of Pest and Bács-Kiskun, which account for 20% of the cultivated area. Most of the canning industry’s capacity is concentrated precisely in the north-eastern region.
The extreme spring drought has also had negative consequences for the volume of production. It may already have affected fruit set and encouraged fruit drop, as well as having a clearly adverse effect on fruit size development.
As an overall result of these weather events, in 2026 we expect production in Hungary to be 20-30% lower than last year. The harvestable quantity is therefore expected to be around 30 thousand tonnes, with a variation of ±10%.
At present, no particular phytosanitary problems or related quality issues are being observed. However, in non-irrigated orchards, fruit sizes are smaller than the usual levels for this time of year.
In irrigated orchards, fruit sizes are reaching satisfactory levels, but even in these orchards there is a clear deterioration in quality compared with last year, which instead delivered good fruit quality. It should be remembered that only around one third of Hungarian sour cherry orchards are equipped with irrigation systems.
The sour cherry season for processing will begin around 15 June with the harvest of the Érdi bőtermő variety, but the most significant volumes are expected to reach the market around 18 June.
Weather conditions over the coming weeks may still influence both the quantities actually harvested and fruit sizes. However, weather and phytosanitary risks are neither greater nor different in nature from those of any previous sour cherry season.
According to the information currently available and the sources considered most authoritative, in 2026 the situation on the European sour cherry market appears significantly better than last year.
Serbia expects a very good harvest, while the outlook in Turkey is particularly favourable. According to some sources, the country could even achieve record production. Both countries play a decisive role in the market for frozen sour cherries and concentrate.
Normal or good production is also expected in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Moldova and Bulgaria, although these countries are not particularly significant players in quantitative terms on the international market.
In Poland, another major player in the concentrate and frozen sour cherry market, severe frosts in late April decimated production. The damage was compounded by an exceptionally cold winter and the extreme spring drought, which is still ongoing.
In mid-May, the situation surrounding Polish production was still marked by serious concern. However, according to the most recent and apparently reliable information, this year’s harvest is expected to fall between the 110 thousand tonnes recorded in 2024 and the 144 thousand tonnes recorded in 2025. Harvesting in Poland will begin in around three or four weeks.
When assessing the Polish forecasts, however, it is impossible to ignore how greatly 2025 production was underestimated compared with the actual figure. Hungarian and European operators now inevitably take this precedent into account.
In addition to expected European production, this year’s market and price trends will be influenced by stocks of preserved and frozen sour cherries, which are now substantially depleted or reduced to negligible quantities throughout Europe. No significant stocks remain with producers.
However, significant quantities of concentrate produced using last year’s relatively expensive sour cherries remain and have been carried over from the previous year into the new season.
Serbia and Hungary produced concentrate using sour cherries purchased at prices ranging from 600 to 800 forints per kilogram (approximately €1.70-2.27 per kilogram), while Polish operators purchased raw material at a seasonal average price of 440 forints per kilogram (approximately €1.25 per kilogram). This difference continues to create pressure and tension in the concentrate market.
Added to this are the excellent harvests expected in Turkey and Serbia in 2026.
Interest from the German and Hungarian canning industries in domestic raw material intended for the production of preserves remains unchanged. Initial signs of interest from Poland in Hungarian sour cherries have also emerged, although price expectations have not yet been clearly defined.
All these factors indicate that, this year, the market for sour cherries intended for preserves appears to be separating clearly from that for raw material intended for the juice and frozen products industries.
In the preserved sour cherry market, stocks are negligible. The availability of raw material is also characterised by a shortage, due to weak Hungarian production, which is of decisive importance for this segment. The market is therefore primarily demand-driven, although buyers appear clearly more cautious than last year because of the extremely high prices recorded in 2025 and the favourable European production outlook for 2026.
By contrast, in the European market for frozen sour cherries and concentrate, the good harvests expected in Turkey, Serbia and Poland will ensure an ample supply of raw material.
In this context, the Hungarian juice and frozen products industry, due to its negligible market shares, will be forced to adapt to the prices set on the international market by the main producing countries.
10 Mar 2026
A study from Argentina shows that discarded sweet cherries can be transformed into freeze-dried cherry powder rich in phenolic compounds and incorporated into pectin-based edible films, creating active materials for food packaging with natural antioxidant properties.
27 Dec 2023
Grant Piggott, managing director of Fruit Producers SA, said that those who have worked in the industry for some time think it is the worst in 50 years, due to three storms that hit the production areas in the pre-Christmas period.
25 Jun 2026
The study on Gisela 5 rootstock examines how salinity affects cherry growth, chlorophyll, ion balance and antioxidant defenses, highlighting sodium buildup, biomass loss and the rootstock’s limited tolerance to salt stress under in vitro conditions, after four weeks.
25 Jun 2026
France expects more than 30,000 tonnes of cherries this year, around one third above average. Growers are urging consumers to buy more, while hand picking, short shelf life, pest pressure and rising orchard costs keep retail prices between €5 and €8 per kilo in June.
