Gráf was speaking before signing an agreement that will give Hungary’s apple growers a Ft 70,000-per-hectare subsidy to compensate them for their extra costs arising from last year’s frost. Also under the agreement, Agrana, which controls 60% of Hungary’s juice apple market, said it would pay suppliers at least €0.09 per kilogram for their apples. Austria’s Rauch, the other major apple processing company active in Hungary, will decide later this week whether or not to accept the compromise farm-gate price.

Apple growers in northeastern Hungary have staged a series of demonstrations over the past few weeks to demand higher prices for their produce. (MTI – Econews)