August freshletter_UK

Froutonea



Kefalinias 6 | 183 45 Moschato
Athens - Greece
Τ +30 210 4812212
F +30 210 4827089
[email protected]
www.froutonea.gr

Ownership
G. Orfanou & Co
Editor-Manager
Panagiotis Orfanos
Editor staff
Anna Makrigiorgou
Fotis Karabetsos
DTP
Yiorgos Vergouliades
Cover design
Aris Betchavas
Subscriptions
Christina Andreakou




ADVERTISED COMPANIES

COMPANY PAGE
POLITIS 1ST cover
ΤΕΧ 1
MENELAOS 3
IMATHIA’S AG. COOP 7
INTERN. APPLE CON. 11
NOVATEC 13
AGROFRESH 15
ALFA COOL HELLAS 18
DS SMITH 19
ACHAIA FRUITS S.A. 21 Peaches
HELLAGRO 23 Will this season change everything we know about
VELVITA Back cover peach cultivation?

Lemons
The production volume reaches low levels


Grapes
Waiting for better days!


Figs
A good season in progress



4 FRESHLETTER wwww


















PRODUCTS













The consumption of summer fruits has been so far so good,
but the sector agrees that it is not as good as the one last year.
Let’s have a look at most of them and let’s begin with peaches.
We can say that once again the current season has been a disaster,
due to bad weather conditions and their low prices. The majority
of producers in Imathia and Pella are really disappointed as their
income depends on the cultivation of peaches. The season has
been bad for industrial peaches too, due to bad handling of trade
politics by the sector.

Regarding grapes, the season is too late, something which
is good according to the professionals of the sector who
claim that this season will turn out to be better that
the previous one. Of course the cultivation of grapes
in some areas such as Xalkidiki has been damaged by hail.


This period lots of autumn products begin to enter
the market, such as pears. The harvest of Blanquilla pears
is over, without any quality products but the producer
prices are not satisfying.

As far as apples are concerned, gala variety is in full
swing, whereas the production volume of late
red apples is low this season and most of traders
claim that the weather condition during September
will define the what the quality of fruit will be.
Except for apples, the first quantities of
Akko pomegranates are sold in the market too.















SEPTEMBER 2019

wwww


































ÒGrapes




WAITING FOR BETTER DAYS!







The new season of grapes is in full swing in all the production areas
of Greece, but the professionals of the sector are not satisfied and
wait for better days to come, probably in September.






We are going through week 34 and the true and the prices of Victoria variety were
table grape sector is facing an unpredict- not any different than the ones last year.
able year, with the weather having caused This was due of the fact that most quan-
huge damages especially in the area of tities were sold directly from the fields,
Xalkidiki. without the legal papers.
The big loss of the area created differ-
ent expectations to the traders of Victoria The season
grapes, who thought that the demand for Regarding Thompson Seedless variety,
this early variety would be good. Unfortu- so far the consumption is not good, some-
nately, these expectations did not become thing which makes sense for this time of
year. Everybody expects things to change
The big loss of the area created different expectations from mid-September, as the European
to the traders of Victoria grapes, who thought markets will be back in the “game” after
the summer holidays. Nevertheless, Greek
that the demand for this early variety would be good. traders worry because their competitors,

Unfortunately, these expectations did not become such as Italy and Spain have planted new
seedless club varieties, which every year
true and the prices of Victoria variety were cover a bigger part of the market and this
way Thompson Seedless loses its market
not any different than the ones last year share.





SEPTEMBER 2019

6 FRESHLETTER










“THE LACK OF WORKERS AND COMPETITION

IN MARKETS ARE THE DISADVANTAGES OF


THIS GRAPE SEASON”




Things are not going according to plan in Greek grape cultivation,
according to Mr. George Katsagiotis, Owner of Katsagiotis S.A.,
who talks about the main problems of the current grape season.








GEORGE KATSAGIOTIS

OWNER OF G.KATSAGIOTIS S.A.







Mr. Katsagiotis, how are things for
Victoria variety?
So far so good, we haven’t had any dam-
ages by the weather and producer prices
begin from 0.40 euros/kilo and reach 0.70
euros/kilo.

Is the trade season developing well? last week of August and the production
I wouldn’t say that the trade of grapes volume of it will not be any different than
is the expected one this year. The competi- last year. There are some damages due to
tion in markets is big, the production costs hail, which will not influence the overall
are really high and we have a big lack of production volume. ;
workers. We are trying to deal with all We have invested in Arra
these problems the best we can.
varieties. We began two Any news about the varieties that you
Are there the main problems of the years ago and we go steady. cultivated recently?
We have invested in Arra varieties. We
grape season? began two years ago and we go steady.
In my opinion, the problems are more They are grapes with good
than the above. The biggest problem is the They are grapes with good characteristics,
but the only thing that worries us is the
fact that the land is small in Greece. For characteristics, but the fact that Arra varieties are too early.
example Spain and Italy, where the land is
huge, the producers have lower production only thing that worries us
costs and this way companies and associ- is the fact that Arra varieties Resume
ations trade in better conditions. Mr. George Katsagiotis is the owner
are too early of Katsagiotis S.A, based in Kavala.
Regarding Thompson Seedless, what Mr. Katsagiotis deals with the trade
is the information you have? of fruits for about 40 years.
The harvest of this variety began the



SEPTEMBER 2019



8 FRESHLETTER









ÒPeaches





WILL THIS SEASON CHANGE


EVERYTHING WE HAVE KNOWN ABOUT PEACH CULTIVATION?



Another difficult season of peaches is coming to its end and the producers in Northern Greece are
desperate as they have realized that they cannot cultivate peaches for a living anymore. So, what is the
future of this cultivation?



swing but we can say a few things about
the end of the season. So, according to
the estimations of the producers in Imath-
ia and Pella the prices will reach the same
low levels of last year and the season will
have a happy ending for the area of Velven-
to and the rest of mountainous cultivated
areas.

The present
Many producers are now thinking of
abandoning their land and this way the
abandoned land will get even bigger. No-
body seems to be interested in renting
land and there are not potential buyers
for the land that is on sale. So everybody
seems to worry about the future as they
have no hope in peach cultivation anymore.
On the other hand, there are the Associ-
ations that have to deal with daily expens-
es and bank payments.
We are going through the last days of
The next day seems to be really dark
August and the trade of peaches goes on, for the agricultural associations as there
with the fruit having quality problems, due
to the lack of care from producers this year. won’t be any fruit to sell, as there won’t
be any producers to offer them their quan-
Of course there are good quality peaches According to the estimations
as well, but these are a few and come from tities. This tragic situration becomes even
worse whwn it comes to the lack of work-
mountainous areas. of the producers in Imathia ers. Most workers leave the area as they
The next day and Pella the prices will look for better conditions to work and new
Regarding the next day, the harvest in reach the same low levels workers do not even show up.
the areas of Pella and Imathia will finish at We do not know what the next day will
the end of August and after that period the of last year and the season be for peaches. Will the land get bigger?
Will peaches be cultivated in other areas
quantities to be harvested will not be ma-
ny. It must be noted down at this point that will have a happy ending apart from Imathia and Pella? Will produc-
ers choose other products to cultivate?
there aren’t any stocks of fruit this time of for the area of Velvento
year, as this is not doable because of the All the above are solutions that might be
given to the problem. The thing is that we
quality problems that the fruit has. and the rest of mountainous
The season of peaches may be in full should all think about what must be done
cultivated areas for the sector.


SEPTEMBER 2019

ÒPears






CRYSTALI HARVEST COMPLETED - DISAPPOINTED FARMERS



Harvesting of pears of the Crystali variety was completed, with production volumes eventually falling
below initial estimates and producer prices moving low, frustrating farmers.



The Crystali Pear harvest period is now
complete leaving a bitter taste to the
farmers, who for one more year received
little money because of the low prices and
the many quality problems the fruits pre-
sented.
As for the volume of production, what
was finally discovered after the harvest
was completed was that the total volume
in the Tyrnavos area was not increased
this year, as originally estimated, but on
the contrary, it was reduced by about 20%
compared to last year. So, according to es-
timates of the region’s cooperative exec-
utives, the total volume at Crystali in the
wider Tyrnavos area was close to 20,000
tonnes this year. To this amount we have
to add another 10,000 tonnes from the
other production areas - and thus through-
out the country the volume of production be absorbed by the market without any dif- So the question that arises from this de-
in the Crystali is about 30,000 tonnes this ficulty. velopment is whether the situation is re-
year. The problem is what about the small versible or not. Difficult to answer…
pears, which have been stored for various T.O.
Size problem reasons. There is a problem here, but the
As for the quality of the fruit there were marketing season is long and a solution
enough problems since many estates in will be found for these quantities along the
the Tyrnavos area were hit by hail this year. way. Good absorption
But that was not the only problem that in Santa Maria
producers and traders had to deal with, The prices
as the element that determined producer Now in terms of Producer prices, they and Kosia varieties
prices was the size of the fruits. In particu- moved this year around the 50-cent axis.
lar, in about 40% of total production fruits But along with these low prices we have The unsold quantity of the Santa
were less than 120 grammars. Further- to take into account the fact that, due to Maria and Kosia varieties are few,
more, a large amount of these small pears the increased volume of the small sizes, a as so far the sales’ pace in these
have not yet been harvested and it is esti- significant volume of production was not pears is good. According to valid
mated that uncollected pears may exceed harvested resulting in significant reduction market reports, if this good flow
5,000 tonnes. in the total farmers’ income compared to continues in the coming weeks,
previous years. This development is deeply then by the end of September
A few good pears troubling for the pear growers of the Crys- these varieties will be completely
Under these circumstances, it is clear tali variety, as farmer prices for this prod- sold, with producer prices being
that good pears, i.e. clean and of good size, uct, from 80-90 minutes that were about 5 considered satisfactory.
are few - and this quality class seems to years ago, now are well below 50 minutes.



SEPTEMBER 2019

10 FRESHLETTER








ÒApples Pyrgi: Here the production decline is

about 20%. The quality of the fruit is bet-
ter than that of the other productive areas,
excepting the fruit from the estates that
ΤHERE WILL BE FEW they were not covered with anti-hail nets.
One problem that will worry the Pyrgi pro-
ducers is the high percentage of small size
This year is a particular one as for apples, as the volume of produc- fruits this year. Finally, as far as fruit color-
ing, it is concerned good.
tion is quite reduced compared to last year, both at European level
and in our country. Arnissa-Zervi-Panagitsa: In this area
too, production volume is expected to de-





A few weeks are left before

the new season for apples
in the red varieties begins,

and most of the traders are
«numb and hesitant» as there
are still enough volumes

left over from last year’s
production and the new

production has experienced
great losses
A few weeks are left before the new are farms with good fruit and farms with de-
season for apples in the red varieties be- layed fruitseting. Add to that the fact that
gins, and most of the traders are “numb there are some minor hail problems, while cline by about 20% compared to last year.
and hesitant” as there are still enough vol- the high temperatures of August have kept As for the color of the fruits, there is a lag
umes left over from last year’s production the color of the fruits in low levels. of progress at this time, while the small
and the new production has experienced size percentages will also be increased
great losses. Actually, because of this de- Agia: The decrease in Agia will be over here.
velopment, many traffickers have not yet 30%. Here, too, the picture of fruit Zagora: Apple production is also down
paid apples to producers last year. quality is confused, as in ma- in this particular region - and as
We should add to this, the low absorp- ny estates the size of the Co-operatives estimate, the
tion of the Egyptian Market, as well as the fruit is unsatisfacto- decline will reach about
other Middle Eastern Markets at this time ry, and the same is 20%. As far as the qual-
due to the “pressure” these Markets had true for fruit color. At a glance ity of the fruit is con-
experienced on all previous months. In addition, hail • Reduced production cerned, there are no
Thus, we estimate that producer prices has left its “im- in all productive areas of our country problems with the
will be at last year’s level, namely apples print” on this • Increased percentages in small sizes size, as due to the
of the high quality category will be at 50 year’s produc- • The harvest beginning is late microclimate of
cents, of mid quality at 40 cents and of low tion. As for the at least one week the area, the fruit
quality at 35 cents. start of the har- • Traffickers come from a traumatic got size in time
vest, this year year and are hesitant and the coloration
Kastoria: This year the production vol- will have a de- • Last season’s high stocks of apples has been going well
will have an impact on the smooth
ume will be close to 30,000 tonnes. The lay of about 7-10 absorption of new season apples. so far.
quality of the fruit is still unclear, as there days. T.O.


SEPTEMBER 2019



12 FRESHLETTER









“WE ARE PLEASED

WITH THE KIKU FIRST YEAR”



The mark is positive for the first season of Kiku apples distribution
through ASEPOP Velventos network, states its Director, Mr. Eythi-
mis Balanis, who describes the goals set by the Cooperative for the
wider dissemination of his new brand.


Do you have any specific goals for the
new season?
What we are planning and trying to do is
to work with more Greek producers to cul-
tivate Kiku, always under the strict qual-
EYTHIMIS BALANIS ity conditions set by ASEPOP Velventos
and Kiku Europe. With this move, we aim
DIRECTOR OF ASEPOP VELVENTOS to have stocks of Greek Kiku apples for a
longer period of time - and this, of course,
is not just for the new season, but also for
the rest.

From your work with brand products,
you have gained enough - and even
Mr Balanis, how does ASEPOP Vel- positive – experience. After all, do
ventos evaluate the first year of the ASEPOP Velventos have plans to in-
distribution of Kiku apples in Greece clude other such products in his quiv-
through his network? er?
It was our first year and so it was more Indeed, the results from Kiku apples -
of a test. However, we did quite well and and especially from the firmly established
the messages we received from our cus- Velvita Peaches in the Market - are impres-
tomers were positive, as they were sat- sive, and it is logic to look at other similar
isfied with the quality of the fruit and the activities that we can develop with other
sales they made. In addition, there is a lot brands. The apple is still in our attention
of space in the Market – and so, so we have We plan to cooperate right now, but we can’t talk about any spe-
every reason to look forward for the new with more Greek Producers cific, advanced plan right now.
season to increase the quantities of Kiku
apples we will ship, both through the vari- for the cultivation of Kiku, Finally, would you like to comment
ous Central vegetable markets and the su- on the upcoming International Apple
permarkets. always under the strict Conference, which will take place on
quality conditions set by the sixth Freskon, April 2-4?
Did you also work with imported Kiku A collective action for the apple, such as
apples? Did you see any difference ASEPOP Velvento and a Congress, is something that the Greek
between them and the Greek Kiku ap- Industry really needs. Freskon’s organiza-
ples? Kiku Europe, so that we have tion has repeatedly proven, with whatev-
Yes, from April onwards, when our er product it has dealt in during its previ-
stocks of Kiku apples ran out, we made im- longer stocks of Greek ous Conferences, that it can provide a very
ports from Germany and Italy. The quali- Kiku apples good scope for discussion and highlighting
ty, of course, was again high, and the Kiku substantive issues. This year, because of
brand was enough reason for the consum- the apple selection, we have a double in-
er to pick the apple off the shelf without terest in seeing what is going to be and,
worries about the origin of the apple from because of the good past, we have every
abroad. reason to expect great things.



SEPTEMBER 2019

MOHAMED MARAWAN
CEO OF THE SARAFRUIT COMPANY, POLAND



“THERE WILL FEW GOOD


POLISH APPLES THIS YEAR”



Polish apples traders welcome the new season
without stress, according to Mr. Mohamed Mar-
awan, CEO of the Polish Sarafruit Company.
Despite the great production losses from the
spring frost, there will be plenty of products for
the markets throughout the season, with a slight
increase in their sales prices.

Apple crops in Poland were hit by frost and hail some time
ago. After that, at which level is this year’s volume expected?
We estimate that the production volume will be around
3,500,000 tonnes, while last year it reached 5,000,000 tonnes. As
for the quality of the apples, we are also seriously affected by the
hail, as about 40% of the remaining production does not meet the
characteristics that could rank it in the top quality category.

Keeping this in mind, will there be a shortage of Polish
apples in the markets or can you miss some of them?
We are quiet and not afraid of something like that. There will be
no shortage of Polish apples in any variety, nor a single loss of any
of our customers. Let me explain what I mean: In the last week
of July, stocks of Polish apples reached about 300,000 tonnes.
In the corresponding week of 2020, despite our production de-
cline, we will again have enough stocks to export, only those will
be smaller.

However, the data of Polish production are quite different,
so that some changes are possible to occur. In the price
field for example, what do you expect?
Yes, there will be an increase in the prices of Polish apples.
Since ex-factory prices were at 40 cents last year, this year may
be at 50 cents. However, Polish apples will continue to be cheap-
er than Greek and Italian, which are generally of higher quality.

14 FRESHLETTER







ÒApples - VOG





THERE WILL BE A BALANCE


THIS YEAR BETWEEN SUPPLY AND DEMAND

The new season could have a happy end for northern Italy’s cooperative producers and offset the dis-
appointing outcomes of the last season.



cline of more than 10% to 105,000 tonnes.
Furthermore, Red Delicious, Braeburn and
Granny Smith will be close to last season’s
volumes, while Fuji are returning to good
performance, rising up to 30% compared to
last season production.

Clubs and organic farming
According to VOG estimates, the outlook
for Club Apples is good, with an increase
for Pink Lady® and Kanzi® and a significant
increase for the still new ones in the mar-
ket, Envy TM. Specifically, envy TM apples
are expected to increase by 30%, to around
3,800 tonnes, thanks to orchards planted
in the previous years.
In the fields of organic apples, the har-
vest here is also expected to increase to
around 25,000 tonnes - partly due to yield
from producers who have completed the
Apple production of the VOG Consortium three-year transition period to organic
apples will be at the same level as last year, farming. Among the main organic variet-
i.e. 525,000 tonnes. As the Italian Consor- ies, Royal Gala, Braeburn, Pinova / Eveli-
tium states, the apple picking of the new na® and Cripps Pink / Pink Lady® are these
harvesting period started 5-7 days later Gala apples harvest for VOG that stand out. In the future, another 3,000
than originally expected, right after the Au- is expected at 125,000 tonnes hectares will be added to today’s 6,500
gust holidays, with the Gala variety. So far, hectares of organic produce to reach a to-
the fruits appear to be of good quality, while and Golden Delicious at tal of about 10,000 within three years.
the cold days of the first week of August
have been particularly beneficial for the fruit 105,000 tonnes. Furthermore, Starting point with good omens
coloring, which is great in the case of new Red Delicious, Braeburn and for sales
clones. However, the July heatwave had The new season has found the market
slow down the size growth of many fruits. Granny Smith will be close to with significant stocks of Golden Delicious,
but demand is already high for the new Ga-
Estimates by variety last season’s volumes, while la apples and VOG estimates the beginning
Looking at estimates by variety, Gala of the sales will be lively. In addition, hav-
apples will reach the highest production of Fuji are returning to good ing regard to Prognosfruit’s estimates of
all apples, as they will reach the 125,000 performance, rising up to 30% total EU production at 10.5 million tonnes,
tonnes, or 15% more than the previous which is below average, the Consortium
season, where they suffered a lot of hail estimates that this year there will be a
damage. Golden Delicious volume is again balance between supply and demand, giv-
expected to be less, with an estimated de- ing producers hope for good sales revenue.



SEPTEMBER 2019



16 FRESHLETTER










ÒPomegranates





NO SURPRISES




The new season of pomegranates started with the Akko variety already on the retailers’ shelves, while
the other varieties, Afrata and Wonderful are growing smoothly - and it looks like we won’t have sig-
nificant variations in production volume this year, in these varieties.



Without any surprises, pomegranate
production in all varieties will grow for an-
other year. Of course, for the Afrata and
Wonderful varieties the case is still open,
as we have almost two months ahead of
us to start harvesting - and the weather
in this timeframe can change dramatically
the volume of the production and the qual-
ity of the fruit. Let´s see what is going on
with each of the varieties.

Akko Variety: Harvesting in this early
variety has already started from the farms
located in the Southern areas of our coun-
try. The fruits are in excellent condition
this year, they have had no disease prob-
lems and in terms of production volume,
this will be similar to last year, as all the
farms - both in the southern part of the
country and those in the northern Greece,
have a good production this year. However,
as all evidence show, the start of the har-
vest this year will be everywhere delayed
by at least one week.

Wonderful variety: The volume of pro-
duction in this ‘dynamic and international’
pomegranate variety is at a good level. We
are talking about the fruits those estates
which are ‘active’ and where the produc-
ers have applied all the necessary cultiva-
tion treatments.
The harvest will begin with a long delay
compared to last year - and as business-
men that are well aware of the evolution of
this product say, the first fruits will be har-
vested after the first fortnight of October. In the Afrata and Wonderful varieties the case is still open, as
we have almost 2 months ahead of us until the harvest begins
Afrata or Ermioni variety: Good news
for this particular indigenous pomegran- and the weather may change everything



SEPTEMBER 2019

We believe that by mid-October we will have no problem
absorbing the early Ako variety, and when the wonderful

variety begins to be harvested there will all depend

on the quality of the fruit, as well as the commercial policy
followed by the Turkish and the other productive countries






will be delayed compared to normal levels
by about a week.
The conclusion
The commercial development of
the season Based on the data of the report
The European Market this summer has above, we conclude that the
been “dried out” by pomegranates - which new season for pomegranates
is why Peru exporters, after the very low will be special. In particular,
last season prices, were very “cautious” we estimate that by mid-
with the European Market this year and October we will have no market
sent small quantities. Only some Israeli absorption problem for the
pomegranates can be found during these early Akko variety, while for the
days but from the first ten days of Septem- wonderful variety, everything
ber onwards, the pomegranate supply will will depend on the quality of the
start to increase, as the harvest from our fruit, but also on the commercial
country and from other European countries policy to be followed by the
will begin. Turkish and the other productive
Concerning the wonderful variety, we countries. It should be noted
will repeat again what we say the last ma- here that Italy has become very
ny years. The solution is exports - and so active in this crop and in the
the distribution channels for this variety coming years will constitute a
should be orientated in the International serious pomegranate player in
Market. Of course, at this point there is a Europe.
serious problem, as the large traders who
have the infrastructure to store pomegran- In other words, we estimate
ates and the channels to dispose of them that by mid-October the
do not particularly care about this product. prices and absorption will
So the burden of handling seems to be on be satisfactory, while for the
the shoulders of the ‘little players’ and any next period, namely from
producer groups created for this product in mid-October till the end of
recent years. November, we estimate that the
Finally, the Afrata variety is mainly ab- prices of pomegranates in all
sorbed by the domestic market - and this varieties will be particularly low
ate variety of Argolida and Laconia. As for is a serious disadvantage that this vari- and that prices and absorption
Laconia, the volume of production will be ety must deal with as soon as possible. will begin to recover from the
significantly increased this year, with the The good scenario for the Afrata variety is, Christmas holidays onwards.
fruits developing normally, without sad hopefully, the production volume and the
surprises while production in Argolida may disposal prices to be set at last year’s lev-
show a slight decline. It should be noted els.
here that in the Afrata variety, the harvest T.O.



SEPTEMBER 2019

18 FRESHLETTER

ÒLemons




THE PRODUCTION VOLUME REACHES LOW LEVELS



The new season of lemons is about to start in a few weeks and its main characteristics are the late
production and the good quality of fruit.

The new season
According to the first information we
have, the production volume of lemons in
the area of Aigialia is lower 15% than last
year. The main characteristic of the sea-
son is the fact that the new season is re-
ally late
and as a result the harvest is about to
begin in the end of September, instead of
the beginning of the month. Regarding the
quality of the fruit, there aren’t any prob-
lems and everything is going according to
plan.
The trade
We are going through week 34 and at According to the traders, Except for our country, Spain will al-
the moment the domestic market and all so have a low production volume of lem-
European markets import lemons from the prices of lemons were ons this season, which according to Ailim-
the Southern Hemisphere, with Argentina po will be -14%. Turkey’s lemon production
being the country that exports the most not the expected ones during will be low as well and some Turkish trad-
quantities. ers say that it will be -40%, in comparison
According to the traders, the prices the summer, as they were with last year, whereas some others claim
of lemons were not the expected ones low from the beginning of the that the fall will be -20%.
during the summer, as they were low
from the beginning of the season and season and during the current The conclusion
during the current week the wholesale Whatever the decline in Spain and Tur-
prices at the fruit and vegetables mar- week the wholesale prices key’s production will be, the overall pro-
kets of the country reach 1 euro/kilo. This at the fruit and vegetables duction volume in Mediterranean ba-
is due to the dispute that traders in Ar- sin will reach really low levels. Based on
gentina have. markets of the country the above information, Greek traders ad-
The new seasons is coming though and mit that the prices of lemons will not have
let’s see what are the main characteris- reach 1 euro/kilo anything to do with last year’s prices. Nev-
tics of the production areas of Greece and ertheless, things are estimated to change
other Mediterranean countries. after Christmas.

























SEPTEMBER 2019



20 FRESHLETTER










“REDUCED PRODUCTION, LOW SIZE AND


LOW PRICES AHEAD FOR TURKISH LEMONS”



The oncoming season for Turkish lemons is a bad one this year
- and this, according to Mr. Mustafa Arslan, Owner of MDA
Agriculture, is not only due to the bad production but also to the
devastating mentality that most of the Turkish traders maintain.


at all happy to admit that – and I am real-
ly thinking of moving my Business to Egypt
or Spain.

When does the new harvest period of
lemons start? What do you expect in
MOUSTAFA ARLSAN terms of volume and quality for each
variety?
The new season begins in mid-Septem-
OWNER OF M.D.A. AGRICULTURE ber. For this year, we expect a 50% reduc-
tion in the production of enterdonat and
20% in the mayer variety. The weather was
very good during the summer, with some
rainy days, but in general our fruits were
Mr Arslan, according to Markets re- not able to reach large sizes. Otherwise,
ports, Turkish lemon exports were their quality will be excellent and this ap-
increased during the 2018/2019 plies to all varieties.
season. Do you confirm these good
news? In general, is there anything that wor-
Yes, actually there was an increase in What most Turkish traders ries you about the new season?
exports, but it is sad that Turkish lemons are thinking to do, namely to What most Turkish traders are thinking
are the cheapest of all. It is really a shame to do, namely to start exporting lemons by
to see the production and sorting costs go- start exporting lemons by the the end of September and mayer lemons
ing up and at the same time to have Com- even earlier, by mid-September - while the
panies mismanaging their business. Unfor- end of September and mayer fruits are not of sufficient size. This will be
tunately, we have Companies that do not disastrous for prices. In my opinion, and I
know business, they sell cheaper in or- lemons even earlier, by mid- will do so, exports should start in October.
der to finish with their stocks and after 3-4 September, while the fruits
years they all end up in bankruptcy. Are Turkey’s agricultural exports af-
are not of sufficient size, will fected by the complex international
Give us a picture of the prices. political scene in which your country
The prices started at 75 euro cents, but be devastating for prices is involved?
after 15 days they went down to 60 cents, Of course, we face some difficulties.
and after a few more days to 50-55 min- However, our problem is not related to Eu-
utes. It’s incredible and yet, unfortunate- rope, but to the Arab, i.e. Muslim countries.
ly, it’s true. So at the end, we consider the These countries are not friendly to us. I do
season as bad for Turkish lemons. not know the reason, but I see that the re-
Generally speaking, I would like to say sult is to impose a tacit - but nonetheless,
that it seems that Turkish products are the serious embargo on Turkish products.
cheapest in the world. Turkish merchants Also, we continue to face problems with
are not smart at all and anyone can buy the volatile exchange rate of the Turkish li-
from them at any price he want. I am not ra against the dollar and the euro.



SEPTEMBER 2019

LEMONS- SPAIN
LESS LEMONS THIS YEAR,


BUT ENOUGH TO COVER THE MARKET NEEDS


This year’s production of Spanish lemons will be 14% lower than last year, Ailimpo estimates, while pro-
duction fall becoming more noticeable in the second half of the season, but with no gaps in the market.


According to the first estimate released by
the Spanish Ailimpo Interprofessional Orga-
nization, 1,014,000 tonnes of lemons will be
produced in Spain for the 2019/2020 season,
which means it will be reduced by 14% com-
pared to its last season record production. In
a general comment on expected production,
Ailimpo points out that Spain’s strong posi-
tion in both exports of fresh lemon and lem-
on derivatives will not affected.

Offer loosening in the second
half of the season
From the data provided by Ailimpo we
can conclude that the decline in Spanish
production is mainly related to the sec- Spanish Interprofessional welcomes the 29% drop in production to 260,000 tonnes.
ond half of the season, as the reduction of fruit sizes so far, as well as the yields of The decline is attributed to the need for
8% in total production of Fino lemons will the new plantations that are gradually the trees to rest after their overproduction
mostly come from their second harvest pe- coming into big production. last year but, as Ailimpo points out, this
riod. The total volume of lemons in this va- On the other hand, far less than last year decline will not affect the supply of Span-
riety is estimated at 845,000 tonnes, while will be the harvest in the late Spanish Ver- iards’ customers, as “it is enough to cover
regarding the quality of the lemons, the na variety. In this case, Ailimpo estimates a much of the summer season of 2020”.






Achaia






Fruits S.A.











info


Συσκευαστήριο: Κουλούρα, 25100 Αίγιο
Τηλ: 2691061352
Φαξ: 2691061631
E-mail: [email protected]
www.achaiafruits.gr




SEPTEMBER 2019

22 FRESHLETTER








ÒFigs





A GOOD SEASON




The production of figs was late and lower in comparison with last year in the areas of Markopoulo and
Lakonia, with small fruits being the main characteristic of the season.









































The weather conditions haven’t helped been low, because most people were away spite the big demand during the current
the cultivation of figs at the main produc- for their summer holidays and the con- season, Greek traders claim that the do-
tion areas of Greece, a fact that led to low sumption in the big cities was not good. mestic qualtities will not be enough to
production levels. Many quantities of fruit The demand for figs started to be good cover the demand from abroad, and this
fell on the ground and the harvest was 10 again during week 36 when the majority of way most of the clients will ask for Turk-
days late for Vasilika variety, Black Figs consumers went back home. The import- ish figs.
and Mission variety. Nevertheless, the pro- ant thing is that all the quantities that are
ducers claim that the quality of the fruit marketed have high prices, due to low offer The production of Mission
that have reached the market is unique. this time of year. The production of Mission figs was one
Regarding the prices of figs, they reach week late this season in the area of Sikia
satisfying levels due to low production and The exports in Laconia, where the harvest began at the
more specifically 1,80-2,00 euros/kilo at The intense interest for Greek figs by in- beginning of August. The production vol-
the wholesale market of Athens. ternational markets has been confirmed. ume of the area was 20% lower in compar-
The exports have been really good so far ison with last year and the new plantations
The demand and the domestic quantities have reached were stable, despite the fact that Mission
During August the demand for figs has Europe, U.S.A and Asia. Nevertheless, de- figs are exported abroad.



SEPTEMBER 2019