The weather in Greece is reaching rather high temperatures. However, there's no reason for concern just yet. For some of the summer fruits, this is actually good news according to Nick Nafpliotis, company director of fresh produce exporter Greek & Fresh: "The heatwave is still ongoing, and the temperatures aren't that bad. We're looking at 40 degrees Celsius, which is still manageable. The impact for all the cultivated fruits is not yet known, but we can look at a couple of them already."
Nafpliotis emphasizes that the warm weather could actually be a positive for all the Greek stone fruits that are still waiting to be harvested. "For stone fruits there does not seem to be any negative impact. In fact, this type of weather is actually a positive thing, as the fruits will have better coloration and it'll reduce the presence of pesticides. On top of that, the water supply in the northern parts of Greece is rather good. This means only rain or hail will negatively affect these crops during the summer."
For grapes, things could become a little more problematic in certain regions, especially in the parts where the water supply is limited, Nafpliotis explains. "Looking at the grapes in Greece, the early varieties such as Prime seedless and Starline from Creta will be OK. The Thompson seedless could have big problems in the areas where water supply is limited. Korinthos, which is the main production area for the Thompson Seedless, may run into problems. Last year, the excessive heat resulted in 70-80% lower production. This year, the forecast was set at 25 to 30% lower quantities compared to a normal year, but heat waves in June may once again negatively affect the crop."
Warm weather usually means a great season for watermelons, but this season is actually rather challenging due to earlier weather conditions: "Although there were signs that we will have a good watermelon season, things have gotten complicated. A cold and rainy period in mid-May has made a temporary gap in the supply at the end of May, which led to a temporary price increase. But during June, when we expected prices to drop progressively, this was not the case. We are still at unusually high prices for this period, and volumes are still limited. Italy and Turkey have increased their market share during this period," Nafpliotis concludes.
For more information:
Nick Nafpliotis
Greek & Fresh
Tel: +30 215 2158063
Email: [email protected]
www.greekandfresh.com