Italy and Hungary report contrasting farm output and land price trends

Italy's agricultural sector posted a modest overall increase in 2025, with total production value reaching €80.1 billion—a 3.9 % rise driven mainly by a 3.6 % jump in prices while output volume grew only 0.3 %. Fruit production fell 7.3 % in volume but fetched an 18.8 % price premium, boosting its value by 10.1 %. The vegetable segment kept its volume stable (+0.1 %) but saw a 5.9 % price decline, cutting its value by 5.8 %. Across the sector, average agricultural prices rose 3.8 %, with livestock prices surging (beef +19.9 %, poultry +15.5 %). Employment in agriculture slipped 0.5 % as self‑employment fell.

In Hungary, the farmland market showed only a slight rise in average hectare prices in 2024‑2025, increasing 1.3 % to 2.264 million forints. The strongest regional price gains were in Zala (+21 %) and Hajdú‑Bihar, which surpassed the 3 million‑forint threshold for the first time. Conversely, Pest and Veszprém saw price drops of 13‑14 %. Transaction volume contracted sharply, falling 14.4 % to about 34,300 deals, with the steepest declines in Pest (‑38 %), Győr‑Moson‑Sopron and Jász‑Nagykun‑Szolnok. Minor price gains were recorded in Csongrád‑Csanád and Vas. "A legdrágább megye 2025-ben Hajdú‑Bihar volt, 3,057 millió forintos hektárárral," noted OTP analyst Dávid Valkó.