This steep increase is mainly due to rising inflation at the end of 2021.Continue reading
It is unjustified to slash the price of melons in the middle of the season, as this would not cover the costs of producers, the National Chamber of Agriculture (NAK) and the Hungarian Melon Growers Association told MTI on Wednesday.
Interest groups are protesting because supermarket chain Aldi wants to sell melons for HUF 149 (EUR 0.37) per kilo. The campaign, they wrote, is merely a marketing tool to attract customers, and it is feared that it will trigger a price war that other supermarket chains will not want to miss out on either.
According to the statement, the future of Hungarian melons is at risk if retailers do not consider producers’ interests. Domestic production has already halved compared to five years ago, and if this continues, in a few years’ time, melons will only be imported from abroad at much higher prices and of poorer quality.
In the longer term, they added, the domestic market can only survive if investment in improving production is recouped.
Featured image: illustration via Csaba Krizsán/MTI