The Hungarian Horticultural Sector: Economic Analysis of Tomato Greenhouse Farms

Greenhouse vegetable production is a key sector of horticulture that represents a significant proportion of the production value of horticultural products, and contributes to minimising the amount of imports. Greenhouses growing vegetables account for 5-6% of the total vegetable production area in Hungary, but produce one quarter of the vegetables harvested each year. In greenhouse vegetables, the most important vegetable crop is paprika (Capsicum annuum var. annuum) and the second is tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). Tomato greenhouse production represents 59% of the total harvested tomato volume. Consumption of fresh tomato was 5.7 kg per capita in 2011; it was the third most popular vegetable after onions and carrots. Our aim was to analyse the cost structure of the Hungarian tomato greenhouse sector. We found significant differences between two types of greenhouse technology in the cost analysis, and that use of geothermal energy for heating contributes to reduction of costs.