Kyiv bails out Hungary, the Ukrainian corn is coming

In times when multiple crises hit Hungary at the same time, help can come from the most unexpected places. Since the ’90s, the county has not been in need of imported corn. The war-torn country of Ukraine seems to be the saviour of Hungary in these dire times. It is said that Ukrainian corn has good quality and is cheaper than the domestic alternative.

Although the harvest is still ongoing, according to experts, Hungary will not reach 4 million tons — reports 24.hu. The country’s domestic consumption is around 4-4.5 million tons a year. Now in better years, the yield is actually twice as much. In the past decade, the average harvest was around 6-8 million tons and this was a stable number. The record was in 2014 when the yield was 9.3 million tons. However, even in the worst year, the harvest was still around 4.7 million in 2012.

The fact that Hungary was not able to produce enough corn for its domestic consumption shows how serious the problem is. Even in the worst years, this was not a problem, but the need for imports is unprecedented. This is a great shock because Hungary’s agricultural supplies should be able to feed at least 20 million people, according to estimates. Although food shortages are partly a result of the war in Ukraine, the main culprit is the severe drought that hit Europe this year.