The harvest of early strawberry varieties has started in Greece with some small volumes. AgroTypos spoke with Mr. Fotis Kyriazis, president of the Agricultural Cooperative "Yrmini", which operates in the prefecture of Ilia. He said that so far there is a good flow of exports, but the quantities are still small.
"Things may become more difficult from March, when we'll have large quantities of strawberries. Last year, at that time, there were problems with the exports and some quantities remained unsold," he said.
Mr. Giannis Arvanitakis, strawberry producer and exporter in Nea Manolada, said that “this season's early Fortuna variety is already being harvested. Prices are good and export flows are smooth, although the quantities are still small. From the end of December, when large quantities will start to be harvested, we will see how the demand and prices develop. Strawberries are almost exclusively an export product. Only about 4% of the production is absorbed by the Greek market. Last year there were some problems with the exports when the production volume peaked. "This year we still cannot predict what the demand will be like in the consumer markets."
For his part, Mr. Georgios Karachalios, Secretary of the Agricultural Cooperative "Ilida", said to AgroTypos that the harvest of early strawberry varieties has been underway for about 20 days. The weather did not cause any problems in the cultivation. So far, the harvest is developing smoothly; the quantities are not large and the flow of exports is smooth."
Source: agrotypos.gr