What is it about?

The Covid pandemic has created turmoil within the local food system in Hungary. Never-before seen problems and challenges have arisen, while restrictions on movement and the closure of established retail outlets have separated consumers and producers. Complete consumer segments have disappeared, and marketing channels have collapsed from one day to the next. This article presents an analysis of the first impacts of Covid on small-scale producers in Hungary

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Why is it important?

We identify the surival strategies during the first wawe of pandemic. Successful producers were those lucky enough to be operating within the fresh fruit and vegetable sector, within which consumer demand increased significantly. The parallel use of several sales channels before the virus outbreak increased subsequent chances of success by increasing the probability that some of the channels would remain operational. Furthermore, successful producers had invested a lot of work pre-Covid into maintaining private relationships with their customers; a situation that proved vital during times of restrictions. Also, the former moved fast, and were open enough to learn and make use of the opportunities modern technology offered them.

Perspectives

Openness and the capacity to learn were very important features in enhancing the resilience of producers, and may become more so as further waves of pandemic are expected. The development of individual learning and skills is expected to substantially increase the chances for making progress in the local food business, even without the pandemic.

Professor Imre Ferto
Centre for Economic and Regional Studies, Hungarian Academy of Sciences: Budapest

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This page is a summary of: The Kings of the Corona Crisis: The Impact of the outbreak of Covid‐19 on Small‐scale Producers in Hungary, EuroChoices, December 2020, Wiley,
DOI: 10.1111/1746-692x.12292.
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