Hungarian Tobacco Down by a Quarter

Hungarian tobacco farmers harvested 4.33 million kg last year, down 23 percent from 2019, reports the Budapest Business Journal citing Illas Benyei, chairman of professional association Madosz.

The average yield dropped to 1,325 kg per hectare, the lowest level in 30 years. Benyei said bad weather had affected the crop while the pandemic had made the labor-intensive work of cropping leaves more difficult.

The harvest included 3,354 tons of Virginia tobacco and 759 tons of burley.

Universal Leaf Tobacco Magyarorszag, the biggest leaf merchant in Hungary, said the quality of the crop it bought from local farmers was average or a little under average.