In neighboring Hungary, there is a shortage of labor for tobacco harvesting

In Hungary, in 2018, tobacco plantations covered 3,258 hectares, including 2,597 hectares of Virginia and 661 hectares of Berley variety, the MyHungary.Net informs.

The President of the Hungarian Association of Hungarian Tobacco Manufacturers (Mados) Bényei Illés said that due to drought, producers expect loss of yield, as the dry and hot summer weather was a major problem in the unirrigated areas. In 2017, the average yield of tobacco was 2,012 tons per hectare, it is expected that in 2018, the yield loss will be on average 10 to 15%.

Another major problem for tobacco producers is the shortage of labor. Mechanical harvesting does not solve this problem, therefore the tobacco manufacturers will have to hire seasonal workers from Romania and Ukraine.