The chairman said there was still a chance that rain late in August could raise the harvest to 7,500 tons. The harvest in areas that are not irrigated, such as those in which Burley tobacco is grown, could fall by one-quarter, he added.

Universal Leaf Tobacco Magyarország, Hungaryʼs biggest tobacco processor, will start buying from growers in the first half of September. Last year, the company bought about 9,000 tons of tobacco, mostly from growers in the northeast of the country.