FROUTONEA_UK_JUNE22

June 2022 Special edition of froutonea magazine






>WATERMELONS
A SEASON IN
SHALLOW WATERS
























































>PEACHES
THE QUANTITIES ARE ENOUGH...

>AVOCADO

www.froutonea.gr ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL SEASON IS OVER...





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ADVERTISED COMPANIES



COMPANY PAGE



MENELAOS FRESH 2ND COVER
TEX 1
MSC 3 In this issue
VARVARESOS 5
ASSOCIATION OF IMATHIA’S Watermelons
AGR. COOPERATIVES 7 A season in shallow waters
VELVITA 14
BELLA FRUTTA 17
DOLE 19 Peaches
CRETA TASTE 21 The quantities are enough…
FRESH POINT 23
OKAA BACKCOVER Avocado
Another successful season is over…



4 PRODUCTS


















PRODUCTS









The summer is here and summer fruits are present in the market
along with high temperatures.
Let’s take a brief look at these products and start with cherries, which
were in the spotlight last month due to the high price they had at
the beginning of the season! But now in all productive areas the harvest
has begun, the volume of supply has increased and of course
the prices have been set at levels affordable for the consumer.

In peaches, the quantities of Peloponnese from this area are minimal
and the domestic market covers its needs from imported quantities.
The same happens with nectarines and as everything shows, the
situation with these products will be normalized from mid-June
onwards, when the harvest from the cultivated areas of Northern
Greece begins.


Now, as far as apricots are concerned, the commercial course
of this product is normalizing day by day, the volume
of production is rising, but so is the anxiety of producers
and traders, as we are dealing with a very sensitive product.


However, in the basket of summer products, watermelon
has a prominent place, the commercial course of which
has its ups and downs, as is the weather at this time,
while the same course as the watermelon has the melon,
its “relative”.

But summer is not only fruits, but also vegetables, such
as beans, vlita, peas and many more, which also have a
prominent place on the table of the Greek consumers.
But let us see in detail how the commercial course of
these products has evolved and especially what the
season will be like especially during the summer.








JUNE 2022



6 INTERVIEW







“IT WILL NOT BE AN “EASY”


EASON FOR GREEK CHERRIES”




A first estimate for the cherry season is made by Mr. George
Kallitsis, Export Manager of Protofanoussis SA. As he says, this
year we are having a good productive year, but at the same time
he expresses his doubts about the purchasing power.









GEORGE KALLITSIS

EXPORT MANAGER
OF PROTOPHANOUSIS SA





Mr. Kallitsis, when did your company
start trading cherries this year?
We started the distribution of cherries
in the internal market with the first fruits
from the middle of May and already before
the end of the month we started the ex-
ports of the product.

What is the situation in the cultivated The war in Ukraine and out the supply chain. In this context, our
areas this season, but also what is the cli- the precision across Europe company has been working since last year
mate in the markets? on cherries with an upgraded digital cali-
The harvest is now increasing and a raise questions about brator, in order to avoid problems related
good production volume is predicted for whether there will be enough to fine marks and other quality issues. But
this season, both in quality and quanti- a good calibrator on the part of packers is
ty. As for our company, we intend to man- money in the consumer’s not the solution for everything. It is crucial
age a tonnage similar to last year, ie about wallet to buy a product that all the necessary measures are taken
11,000 tons of cherries. However, my pre- from the harvest phase to ensure that the
diction is that this season the situation is that has a long history, cherries enter the “cold chain” immediate-
markets will not be easy and that the com- but is not cheap ly, which should remain unbroken until the
petition will be quite intense. I base this on products are delivered to the retailer. The
the fact that there is no factor that caus- “immediate” and “unbreakable” of the re-
es a shortage in European production, but frigeration chain is crucial to ensure max-
there are several factors that reduce de- imum fruit quality. However, the harvest
mand. The war in Ukraine and, to be pre- is not always done in the right way, under
cise, the whole of Europe raise questions What needs to be done in these con- the appropriate cool hours of the day. As a
about whether there will be, to put it sim- ditions to ensure that the Greek cher- result, packers get cherries that have not
ply, enough money in the consumer’s wal- ry spreads as widely as possible in the been treated the way I described above,
let to buy a product that has a long histo- markets? lose quality and durability, and are more
ry, but is not cheap. Proper management is needed through- likely to be undervalued or cheaper.


JUNE 2022

JUNE 2022

8 INTERVIEW
































MATTHEW WHITING

RESEARCHER AT
WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY


Mr. Whiting, you have a wide experience
in the cherry cultivation techniques and
to the cherry orchard management. So,
could you please tell us first which the
main cultivation problems are that the
US cherry growers face today?
Cherry growers in the US face many
challenges every year. Like many oth-
er regions, the growers face risk of crop
loss from environmental threats includ-
ing cold damage (i.e., frost), rain-induced
splitting, and heat stress, as well as pests
and pathogens such as little cherry virus,
X disease, spotted wing drosophila, and
powdery mildew. However, cherry growers
in Washington State (where we produce
about 60% of US cherries) are most con-
cerned with the rising costs for, and declin-
ing availability of, laborers for critical tasks “ACCELERATION OF MANUAL WORK AND OPEN-
like harvest and pruning. Sweet cherry is
the most labor-intensive tree fruit crop
that is grown in the US, requiring a mas- ING IN MECHANIZATION / AUTOMATION WITH
sive labor force during the short harvest
THE UFO “CULTIVATION SYSTEM”
window.
Your proposal for the cherry cultivation
consists of a new tree form, which is
called UFO System. Could you please
explain to us the characteristics of this Froutonea interviews Matthew Whiting, who shares with us the
system? How is the tree being shaped benefits the UFO farming system offers to cherry growers and
and how is the orchard being structured the way the orchard is shaped.
according to the UFO System (space be-


JUNE 2022

The key advantages clearly implies that growers could harvest
to the UFO system are their UFO orchards with half as many pick-
ers as needed in the old systems, or, they
its simplicity in pruning, would harvest the fruit in half the time if

improved production using the same number of pickers. Be-
cause the canopy is narrow, it is possible
efficiency, and ability to adopt to utilize narrow covering systems for pro-
mechanization/automation/ tection from rain, hail, heat stress.
vision systems
Which are the general advantages of the
UFO System? What does it guarantee
to the growers and which would be an
average production per hectare? Is this
system suitable for all the professional
cherry orchards no matter where they
are and under which circumstances
grow?
The key advantages to the UFO sys-
tem are its simplicity in pruning, improved
production efficiency, and ability to adopt
mechanization/automation/vision sys-
headed whips) are planted at an angle of tems. It is simple to train people how to
45 degrees and oriented pointing south prune the system because there are two
(in the northern hemisphere). It is advis- basic rules: 1) remove the most vigorous
able to use some clip system to connect (and less productive) uprights, and 2) re-
the trees to the lowest trellis wire to main- move all lateral branches from uprights.
tain this angle. The key in the first year is Average production per hectare depends
to get good shoot growth at the termi- very much on the cultivar/rootstock com-
nal end of the trees, and remove any new bination, but can be very high (e.g., 30 t/
shoots that arise in the lower portions of ha). There are only few situations where
the tree. Later in the first year, general- I would not recommend the UFO system.
ly after about 45 cm of new shoot growth These are mostly when growing cultivars
or trees have grown sufficiently to fill the that are not the traditional spur-type (i.e.,
space between trees, the tree can be they set most of their fruit at the base of
clipped to the lowest wire in a near hor- last year’s shoots), or using rootstocks
izontal position. For more detailed infor- that are vigorous and not precocious.
mation, see the chapter I wrote on UFO ar-
chitecture here: https://catalog.extension.
oregonstate.edu/pnw667 Could you please tell us which way does
the cherry cultivation in the US follow?
tween the trees and the rows etc)? Where is the future of the cherry culti-
I developed the UFO system specifical- How does the UFO System respond to vation?
ly to address this concern over labor, but the problem of lack of workers and to Sweet cherry cultivation in the U.S. has
also to facilitate pruning, and, most im- the climate change? been transitioning slowly from low density,
portantly, to create a canopy architecture The UFO system directly addresses multi-leader systems to high density pla-
that is narrow and planar and well-suit- these concerns by producing a compact, nar systems with new size-controlling and
ed to current and future mechanization, planar, fruiting wall architecture. In our precocious rootstocks. There is great in-
automation, and vision technologies. The studies, we showed that hand harvest ef- terest in new cultivars that are large, fla-
trees may be configured to either a verti- ficiency is essentially doubled when com- vorful, and either early- or late-maturing.
cal or V-trellised system, both being com- paring traditional tree architecture with The future for sweet cherry production will
pact fruiting walls at maturity. The spe- the UFO system (Ampatzidis, Yiannis G., be based on new training systems like the
cific steps that are necessary to form the and Matthew D. Whiting. «Training system UFO that allow growers to utilize mecha-
system have evolved over years in collab- affects sweet cherry harvest efficiency.» nization (e.g., platforms), and adopt new
oration with growers. Briefly, trees (un- HortScience 48.5 (2013): 547-555). This technologies.

10 PRODUCTS





ÒPeaches





THERE ARE ENOUGH QUANTITIES…



The new season of peaches and nectarines has begun, with the early varieties from Southern
Greece remaining in the spotlight until mid-June, ie until the harvest begins in Central and
Northern Greece!


tities clearly fewer and perhaps many of
them have quality problems, due to the re-
duced crop care provided by producers this
year, as prices for fertilizers and pesticides
have skyrocketed.

The conditions
We must not forget the many problems
that have been created in recent years in
the smooth movement of the fruits, due to
the rains. However, in order for the peach
and nectarine season to develop smooth-
ly this year, there must be the necessary
workforce and here things have not devel-
oped as they should. The shortage of land
workers is an issue for which FRUTONEA
magazine organized an entire conference
during FRESKON exhibition, but the work-
shops cannot solve such issues but only to
highlight them and keep them up to date.
These issues must be resolved by the re-
This year, the harvest of early varieties The middle and late varieties
of peaches from the Peloponnese start- From mid-June onwards, the harvest is spective Government quickly, adopting re-
alistic proposals, such as those formulat-
ed at low levels, as the damage from the expected to start accelerating in Tyrnavos, ed during the meeting. That is, to obtain a
frost was huge and as a result the market Imathia and Pella, showing a significant work card for all economic migrants who
demand for peaches and nectarines in May delay compared to previous years. Howev- are currently in our country and to further
was covered for the most part by imported er, this long delay is not only due to the de- simplify the procedures for migrant work-
quantities. As expected, the prices offered lay in production, but also to the fact that ers.
on these products were very high and this all the early varieties in these areas have
fact, combined with the sluggish market been severely damaged by frost. Concluding
climate, significantly reduced the quanti- Now, regarding the evolution of produc- Traders know that consumers do not
ties of peaches and nectarines that were tion for the period from mid-June onwards, have much money this year and “tremble”
traded in May. On the other hand, the topic ie for the medium and late varieties, there at the idea that the absorption of the prod-
that is being discussed today in the mar- is talk that the volume of production will uct can be low, due to its selling prices.
ket is the low demand that has been mani- be at normal levels and of course in rela- Our own analysis, however, leads us
fested, not only in peaches and nectarines, tion to last year’s disastrous year, it will to the conclusion that trade agreements
but also in all fresh products. The views be significantly elevated. It should be not- should start based on last year’s pric-
expressed by traders on how demand will ed here that in recent years many areas es, which were anything but low. In other
evolve during the summer months all con- with peaches have been abandoned or up- words, we estimate that the season in the
verge on the fact that tourism will be a key rooted, so when we say “normal produc- medium and late varieties will run smooth-
factor and this gives a note of optimism tion levels” we should not imagine the pro- ly, provided, of course, that there will be no
that eventually summer fruits will devel- duction levels that existed in the plain of damage to the fruit from the weather.
op well. Imathia and Pella 5 years ago, but quan-



JUNE 2022

“THE SEASON OF PEACHES IS UNPREDICTABLE”




The market of peaches and nectarines this year is completely
unpredictable, notes the Sales Director of ACN NAOUSSA, Mrs.
Soula Serdari, in Froutonea magazine. The only sure thing is the
reduced purchasing power of consumers.














SOULA SERDARI

SALES MANAGER
OF ACN NAOUSSA





Mrs. Serdari, when does your cooper-
ative start? What are the predictions
about the trade of peaches and nectar-
ines this year?
The beginning of the peach season for What are the main reasons?
ACN Naoussa is June 5, while 2-3 days lat- First of all, in addition to the increase in
er the nectarines follow. However, this year cultivation and packaging costs, there are
is marked by a 30% reduction in the ear- shortages of containers and trucks trans-
ly varieties of peaches and for this reason porting the products.
the big quantities will start to move from The good quality of peaches Secondly, there is a shortage of work-
June 20. will withstand without much ers, which if not resolved immediately, I
impact on the competition confess that we face the very real risk of
What about the quality of the fruits? leaving part of the production unharvested.
The peaches and nectarines of Naous- and in any case, the branded Thirdly, the purchasing power of the world
sa are distinguished this year of excellent Naougusta peach will is very low and the war in Ukraine has af-
quality and will be able to travel comfort- fected all markets.
ably to any destination and in any packag- complete their marketing
ing. This is one of the comparative advan- cycle with full circulation of Is there a case for peaches to remain un-
tages of ACN Naoussa this year. used?
their toning Yes, this risk also exists and concerns
What is the market climate like? non-branded products, which will see the
The situation that will prevail in the biggest impact on their prices. On the oth-
peach market is shown by what is happen- er hand, I believe that the good quality of
ing in the cherry market. It is not possible peaches will withstand without much im-
for anyone to say what will happen in the pact on the competition and in any case,
long run even for two days. Even for the branded peaches, like our Naougusta, will
prices during the day, one cannot be sure complete their commercial cycle with full
this year. circulation of their tonnage.



JUNE 2022

12 INTERVIEW








“WE FACE NO DIFFICULTIES


IN THE PRODUCTION OF PEACHES


AND NECTARINES IN ITALY”



The Italian production of peaches and nectarines seems not to
face any problems this season and the Italian exporters of the
fruit enter the international markets with optimism.



Mr. Zanelli, the European kiwi season is
over. The Greek exporters have had al-
most no profit due to the producer pric-
es and the high production and logistics
cost. Could you please assess the out-
comes for the Italian exporters?
The sales campaign is drawing to an end
in Italy; thanks to the quality of some pro-
duction areas, we are able to cover cus-
tomer demands until mid-June with con-
ventional product and for the whole of
June with organic product. The overall bal-
ance for the productive areas closes be-
low initial expectations, but in any case
with decent results that allow those who
had satisfactory quantities, not excessive-
ly reduced due to last spring’s cold spells,
to obtain income for their farms. The com-
mercial campaign for Italian products has
been complex since the beginning of 2022, MIRCO ZANELLI
due to the strong pressure of Greek prod-
uct stocks, the maintenance of the prod- SALES MANAGER OF APOFRUIT
uct, the decrease in overseas loads also
due to logistics costs, a decrease in con-
sumption evident since the beginning of we could expect a return to normal vol-
2022 on the entire European market, ac- umes, up compared to the past 2 extreme-
centuated by the advent of geopolitical ly deficit years, although we do not believe
uncertainties in Eastern Europe. there will be more hectares and full pro-
ductions comparable to the years before
How is the Italian kiwi sector being 2019. For the Yellow variety, productions
prepared for the next season? Is it true are looking good, increasing compared to
that the Italians try to relocate the kiwi last year and following the growth fore-
plantations from northern to southern casts planned with the development of the
regions? How is the battle against the project with Zespri G3 for our Cooperative.
various kiwi diseases going on? With regard to the production areas,
At the moment it is too early to make our Cooperative has always operated in
forecasts for the coming season as the the various Italian territories from north to
harvest predictions will be made at the be- south, and with regard to the various ad-
ginning of June for the Kiwi Hayward, but versities we are succeeding with studies




JUNE 2022

and joint synergies to keep the situation of plantations can be glimpsed, especially
monitored. on nectarines.

Are we going to see more Italian yel- Which markets are the most important
low kiwis entering the market during export destinations for the Italian peach-
the next season? Which are the plans of es and nectarines and which ones are for
Apofruit for the red kiwis? cherries? Which are the general difficul-
The Cooperative is also developing a ties that face the Italian exporters in ex-
patented variety of Red Kiwi together with porting their products?
other partners. It is an interesting though The main markets for nectarines are, in
very sensitive product niche that com- addition to the national market, the most
pletes the range of our supplies to our important European countries: Germany,
main customers. England, and Scandinavian countries. The
Cooperative has also been active for ma-
What volume is expected for the Italian ny years with valorisation projects for So-
peaches, nectarines and cherries this larelli products shipped to Arab countries.
year? Were there any weather problems For cherries, the most important market is
or are there any quality issues? Italy, with shares in Germany, Austria and
In terms of production, the stone fruit Switzerland.
sector this year promises to be fortunate-
ly discrete; apart from a few early varieties How do the war in Ukraine and the global
affected by the frost, the rest of production inflation affect the peach and nectarines
seems to be returning to normal volumes. market?
Peaches, nectarines and apricots are up by Obviously, the impact of the war and
30-40% compared to the last two disas- costs will also be significant on summer
trous years. They are well below full pro- produce. In addition to the direct costs
duction in 2019, but however interesting in borne by farms for fertilizers, fuel, ener-
order to return to consistently supply both gy, etc., there are the impacts on facilities
the domestic market and the main Europe- for packaging materials, transport, ener-
an countries. For cherries, volumes are ex- gy, etc., but all of this unfortunately also
pected to be similar to those of last year. impacts on the purchasing power of con-
sumers, who have already shown a focus
We see that Italian peaches and nectar- on and reduction in their daily expenditure
ines are already in the European mar- since early 2022.
kets .Are you satisfied with the commer-
cial flow up to that moment? Peaches and nectarine are very perish-
As far as sales are concerned, volumes able fruits with low durability after the
to date are rather low, but the results are harvest. Are you afraid that the lack of
decent and similar to last year’s for the containers is possible to affect nega-
same period, although one has to consid- tively the in-time delivery of the Italian
er that we started at least 8/10 days late. products with negative repercussions to
their quality?
How are the plantations of peaches and Another certainly complex issue that
nectarines going? Which fruit do the needs to be addressed is the shortage of
growers prefer and which characteristics manpower for both farms and process-
must the planted varieties have? ing warehouses. For several months now,
Nectarines and especially peaches, Italian associations have been denouncing
have been declining in investment in the this problem, to which the Italian authori-
last few years in Italy, especially in north- ties have so far failed to provide an answer.
ern areas, following the difficult commer- A structural shortage that can only be ad-
cial years before 2020/2021, and the pres- dressed by seriously tackling the problem
ence of physiopathologies such as sharka, of migratory flows and other issues that
which prevent production in some areas. are impacting on this, by assessing the
In southern areas, production is constant, needs of our as well as many other sectors
and a possible, although limited, recovery that are fundamental to our country.

14 INTERVIEW

































GRIGORIS PAPOUTSIS
OWNER “THE DAMAGES IN THE EARLY
OF ALFA PAPOUTSIS COMPANY
APRICOT VARIETIES WERE LESS

Mr. Papoutsis, how is the apricot season
evolving in your area? THAN EXPECTED IN KORINTHOS”
This year’s harvest in the greater Corinth
area began in early May, with quantities
this year being higher than we had origi- The confusion among producers regarding the ever-growing
nally predicted. At the end of May we are cultivated varieties in the region of Corinth, still concerns Mr.
going through, Tom Cott, Orange Red and Grigoris Papoutsis, Owner of the company Alfa Papoutsis, who
Tirinthos varieties are harvested and their
production stands at satisfactory levels. in the following interview, gives us the stigma of this year’s pro-
ductive and commercial season of apricot.
Is there any confusion among producers
this year regarding the cultivated red-
flesh varieties? Production in the early all, however, we must find a way to se-
Unfortunately, my answer will be pos- cure the rights from these red-flesh vari-
itive this year as well. The growing de- varieties of apricot eties that are already planted, so that we
mand for red apricots from the Europe- in the region of Corinth can make this volume of production avail-
an supermarket chains is expanding the is bigger than our initial able on the markets in Europe. Also, there
planting of trees with red apricots. How- must be a right choice in the cultivated va-
ever, these plantings, which are of course forecasts rieties, so that, firstly, they do not coincide
welcome, are not done with a schedule, re- and secondly, there is the necessary vol-
sulting in many difficulties during the pack- ume to make the exports. Only then can we
aging stage. In fact, the more varieties are improve things.
planted, the greater the confusion regard-
ing the composition of the varieties, as a How has the market climate been
large portion of growers choose to plant shaped so far?
these varieties, without knowing their Look, the first weeks of the apricot mar-
names, whether they are patented or not ket were very satisfying, both for the pro-
and whether they are exportable. ducer and for the Greek trader - and that
happened because the quantities were so
Is there a way to improve this situation? far controlled. We will have a better pic-
Everything is done, as long as we de- ture of the market from mid-June on-
cide exactly where we are going. First of wards, when prices will stabilize.



JUNE 2022



16 PRODUCTS






ÒWatermelons






LATE SEASON OF WATERMELONS


MAKES THE TRADE EASIER THIS SEASON



It seems that the Greek watermelon exporters will have more time for a relatively more comfort-
able trade of their product this year, since the spring weather conditions prevented the timely im-
plementation of the plantings, while in some cases, the growth of the fruits was even delayed. Of
course, this does not mean that the Greek production does not see its own calendar being stirred
this year. Let us see, however, in more detail below the situation in the production of watermelons
per country in all the Balkans.



grown in Morocco, while the Greeks have
turned more to the use of round varieties,
which are easier to sell in Central Europe
and the Balkans.
Elsewhere, the trend for smaller water-
melon sizes is slowly growing in the Greek
consumer public. According to circles from
companies distributing propagating mate-
rial, in a few years watermelons weighing
12-15 kg will be the small minority on the
shelves of supermarkets and the majori-
ty will be the categories 5-7 and 7-12 kg.
Seedless varieties still have and will con-
tinue to have a very small percentage, but
it is considered that there is a future for
them as well, as they are part of the new
trends for products in the convenience
category.

Cyprus: The production of the ear-
ly watermelons of Cyprus in Protaras
Greece: The reduction of watermelon tion of watermelons throughout Greece; and Paralimni was bad and now the trad-
cultivation areas is a given fact in all pro- this will mean that it is likely that too ma- ers who face the intensity of the demand,
duction zones, due to last year’s bad trad- ny watermelons will be harvested in the due to the increase of the incoming tourist
ing season and the increased cultivation period from June 25 until early July. flow have gone “around”, looking for ad-
costs this year. In fact, watermelon pro- As for the rest, regarding the variet- ditional product. It should be noted here
ducers in Thessaly decided this year to ies that are cultivated in our country, this that in Cyprus watermelon cultivation
deal with cotton and other crops, which year an additional reduction of the acres has decreased in certain areas of the is-
due to the international situation, are of Varela watermelons is recorded, which land, where we have rapid tourist develop-
promised better prices than watermelons. are estimated to amount to only 15% of ment, as agricultural land is converted in-
On the other hand, the unstable weath- the production. The space occupied by the to tourist accommodation, while this year
er during the planting period reduced the Greek Varela watermelons in more expen- the lack of labor discouraged several pro-
time of their realization and, according to sive markets, such as England and the ducers, who finally decided to limit areas
circles that are well aware of the produc- Netherlands, has been occupied by those cultivated with watermelon.



JUNE 2022



18 INTERVIEW
































THANASIS ZAFIRAKIS

SHAREHOLDER “THE BEGINNING OF WATERMELON
SEASON IN ILIA WAS NOT SATISFYING”
OF ZAFIRAKIS FRUITS


Mr. Zafeirakis, when did the harvest
start in the region of Ilia and when will The producers of Ilia were not satisfied with the demand and
we reach the productive peak of the re- prices of the greenhouse watermelon and they hope that things
gion? will improve with the new quantities of outdoor crops..
In Ilia the first watermelons were cut
from the greenhouses around April 20 and
until the third week of May, the produc-
tivity of the greenhouses was at 3-5 tons by 20-30% compared to last year, due to
per hectare. Somewhere here, howev- last year’s disappointing commercial sea-
er, the greenhouse watermelons end and son and this year’s accuracy. In addition,
the outdoor ones begin. In particular, the however, it is the cloudy sky and the cold
harvest from the open fields started in the The tonnage of this year’s weather that has not allowed the estates
fourth week of May, with low yields, at 3 to give us large acreage yields. So, al-
tons per hectare and will increase in June, harvest in Ilia will be smaller. though one cannot express it with certain-
whereas the end of season will come in This is primarily due to the ty from now on, outdoor watermelons will
August. probably not be as many as they could be.
fact that this year’s plantings
What production volume is expected are reduced by 20-30% How is the marketing going so far and
this year and what types of watermel- compared to last year, but what do you expect for the future?
ons stand out? Taking into account the production
The production of the greenhouses con- also because the acreage costs that have risen by 30% this year,
cerned only round barrels, but with the yields do not seem to be the lukewarm demand and the prices we
beginning of the harvest from the open receive from the super markets, we can-
fields, the barrels are now entering the rising to very high levels not say that we are happy so far. However,
market. As for the mini watermelons, they we are still at the beginning of the season
are not even 1/10 of the production of Ilia. and that is why we cannot make assess-
However, as far as the tonnage of the ments of the situation. We just say what
harvest in general is concerned, this year happens in this first phase and we defi-
will be smaller. This is primarily due to the nitely work to improve the situation after-
fact that this year’s plantings are reduced wards.




JUNE 2022



20 PRODUCTS





ÒAvocado




ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL SEASON IS OVER!




The avocado season has come to an end with producer prices hovering at particularly high levels,
leaving a good legacy for next year, which may give us a much higher production volume.


We are going through the last days of
May and the avocado harvest in the area
of Chania has been completed. Now, the
2021-22 season has gone down in histo-
ry as a very successful year despite the
problems that this winter has created
in the fruits. Producer prices were main-
tained throughout the season at the lev-
el of 2 - 2.50 euros, leaving happy produc-
ers behind. It should be noted here that
these prices enjoyed by the producers are
largely due to the fact that Greek chains,
as well as serious retailers, preferred to
have Greek avocados on their shelves, al-
though at the same time avocados from
other countries were offered up to 1 euro In the area of Chania, many were planted with avocados, and so in the
lower. Of course, close to the preference of next 5 years the productive map of avo-
domestic production, we must emphasize new farms with avocados cado cultivation in Chania will have com-
that Greek avocados are superior in qual- were planted this year pletely changed.
ity to the productions of other countries,
especially those from Latin America, but as well, and so in the next There are concerns
Many traders, who are well aware of
even from Spain. 5 years the productive map how the global production of avocados

The volume of production of avocado cultivation in has evolved, are concerned about the con-
There has been a lot of talk lately about this area will have completely tinued expansion of cultivation, but also
how the volume of avocado production in about the euphoric climate that has been
the area of Chania has been shaped. Some changed created in the productive cycles.
circles from this region report that the This «climate» is what worries them the
current season has exceeded 5,000 tons, most, as when the volume of production
while others estimate that the total pro- increases and a part of it must now be sent
duction should not exceed 3,000 tons this to international markets, then in order for
year. The second estimate, that of 3,000 the Greek avocado to be competitive, the
tons is probably more realistic and let us producer price must be set at lower levels.
keep this for our references to this product. In such a case, there will certainly be
At the height of 5,000 tons, emphasize «friction» between producers and traders,
the above cycles, the volume of produc- but as life has shown us in the end, the law
tion may reach the season 2022-23, as the of the market prevails and the balance is in
flowering of the trees is very good this year place. Of course, all these are «crisis sce-
and from now on the acreage yields of the narios», which are good to say and hear,
new estates will increase, which are in pro- but so far.
duction. What is worth focusing on right now is
It should also be noted here that this the production of the new season and it is
year in the area of Chania many new farms a blessing to have a rich harvest.



JUNE 2022

Creta taste




PACKAGING AND DISTRIBUTION OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS


Genuie Cretan

Products

Residue free products
Citrus glossed only with
natural bee wax






































ΣΧΕ∆ΙΑΣΜΟΣ ΓΙΩΡΓΟΣ ΒΕΡΓΟΥΛΙΑ∆ΗΣ






















Creta Taste S. A.
Agia, Chania, Crete | T. +30 28210 78 734 | F. +30 28210 78 637
[email protected] | www.cretataste.com

22 PRODUCTS





ÒTomatoes





GOOD NEWS…




So far the prices of tomatoes have stood at good levels and as everything shows, the supply is not
going to go up in June; on the contrary, due to the weather and tourism, we expect the demand to
increase.


June is here, the production from Crete
has started to decrease and at the mo-
ment are in the foreground various areas
of Mainland Greece, but also all the hydro-
ponic units that have tomatoes.
The prices of the product have been
kept at very good levels so far and this
has given a note of optimism to the grow-
ers, who are experiencing a completely dif-
ferent year this year, as in addition to the
stress of plant growth they have to deal
with increased costs in fertilizers, energy
and work.
And the cost of supplies can be met in
one way or another, but there is no way to
address the shortage of workers. This is
the big problem that the cultivation of veg-
etables faces both in Crete and in Main- The next period
land Greece. Much has been written about Circles that are well aware of the evolu-
the shortage of workers, but it seems that tion of this product estimate that the com-
a solution to this issue will not be easily mercial course of the tomato this sum-
found, as there are obsessions and polit- mer will have a very interesting course and
ical expediencies around the issue, immi- The commercial course this is because the outdoor cultivation will
grants. of the tomato this summer move at low levels, as the producers due

The evolution will have a very interesting to the increased costs will limit their crops
to less acres. This way ie the reduction of
The summer weather, but also the in- course and this is because the cultivated area, is considered to be fol-
creased tourism that we expect our coun- lowed by the producers in Western Mes-
try to have this year, will further stimu- the outdoor cultivation will sinia for the autumn cultivation, according
late the demand, in June and now what move at low levels, to the statements of the cooperative exec-
remains to be seen is whether the supply utives of the region.
will meet this demand. It should be not- as the producers due to the In other words, we see that with the ar-
ed here that imports from other Europe- increased costs will limit rival of autumn, the scenery at the vege-
an countries during this period are not an table production sites will have nothing to
easy task, as in almost all European coun- their crops to less hectares do with what we knew so far and the re-
tries the cost of cultivation is increased duced supply of all vegetables will be evi-
this year due to energy. Thus, tomatoes dent. However, we will publish more about
from these countries reach high prices in the vegetable industry, but also about the
our country, with the result that domestic evolution of outdoor tomato cultivation in
production maintains good prices. the July issue, as we have been doing all
these years of our publication.



JUNE 2022

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