FruitVeB bemoans lack of EU funding: Hungary's umbrella association for the fresh produce industry would have liked to see higher EU subsidies for the sector

摘要

ALTHOUGH new markets have opened up for Hungarian producers thanks to EU maccession last spring, FruitVeB project manager Zoltan Fodor notes that as 2004 was such a poor season for fruit and vegetable prices, the positive aspects of EU membership werenot immediately apparent. "However, we have new links with the Baltic states, Scandinavia and the UK," he notes. But the domestic market is still of primary importance for Hungarian production, absorbing 50 per cent of the country's total fruit and vegetable volumes. Mr Fodor feels that after the transitional period of joining the EU, total fresh produce production will now stabilise at around 3m tonnes.