The strawberry harvest in Greece is more favorable than the one preceding year, claims Alexandros Polydoropoulos. He is the agronomist for Greek exporter Labidino SA: “The Greek strawberry season has been quite pleasant. Demand is much higher than in the past and the entire strawberry industry within Greece is growing. Also, the quality is clearly superior to what it was in 2022-23. And we’re content that customer complaints are actually very few. Both of these factors have allowed us to get good prices during the first week of the season. Demand is currently massive, as everyone is looking at Greek strawberries. But, the quantity isn’t enough to meet the demands for the marketplace. Additionally, Greek strawberries appear to be enjoying an equal share in the market within European countries, and have gained the respect of the consumers.”
Despite increased acres however, the overall volume of strawberries is smaller the year before, Polydoropoulos explains. “Volumes are reportedly declining and are about 15% less than last year’s volumes. One of the main factors contributing in this decrease is reduced efficiency of the plants that were cut. In addition, the inadequate plant establishment in the early stages of the season as well as the warm, dry winter after that did little to help in establishing the right conditions for yield we typically anticipate. It is unlikely that this decline will be evident in the markets since the strawberry area has increased by 10% to 15% when compared with last year.”
According to Polydoropoulos The main issue is getting workers for the fields for strawberries: “The sector has to face three very challenging issues at the moment that include the shortage of labour force and the high quality of the propagating material, and lastly the effects of climate change. Concerning the workforce it is our goal to bring foreign workers nations like Egypt, India, Nepal and many more, since it is a job in the fields of strawberries that isn’t appealing to the indigenous people of Greece. Also, we have serious problems regarding the quality of fresh plants that are grown in nurseries. Plant establishment has become more difficult over time and mortality of young plants becomes greater in the first few weeks following transplantation. It’s something we’ve never faced before. This is why we strive to select robust and resistant cultivars that are highly adaptable to our cultivation method.”
“The changes in the climate, especially increasing the temperature average and less rainfall directly affects the crop of strawberries. The availability of water on both the surface and underground water are limited, and the growth of strawberry plants in the early stages of the season can be further affected by the extreme temperatures. We have already implemented more efficient methods of utilizing water. We are trying to stop any blunders.”
The season of strawberries began with strong prices however, the price has since dropped. The producer Polydoropoulos is hopeful of an increase in prices prior to the end of the season: “Our main market is the middle and eastern regions of Europe. At present, we export our products to Germany, Austria, Poland, Serbia and Cyprus . We’re always willing to explore new markets, and the effort continues. Prices up to the beginning week of March were pleasing, as they were 20-25 percentage higher than prior season. Then, prices fell since more fruit was brought into the market. It is now about 2.2 -2.4 euro per kilogram. In this time, production typically decreases, therefore our hope for prices will likely to increase in the coming month. We also expect to maintain a high level of trading by the close of this season.”
More information is available here:
Alexandros Polydoropoulos
Labidino SA
Tel: +302693031800
Mobile: +306984452147
Email: polydoropoulos.a@labidino.gr
www.labidino.gr