Xalkidiki, one of the most important apricot-growing areas of Greece, was also one of the most affected by the Bora storm, which broke out last weekend in Northern Greece. Roads turned into rivers, houses and shops were flooded, and mud and debris covered large part of the villages. The Sithonia provincial road was impassable in many places, as large landslides occurred and trees fell onto the road surface.
Nevertheless, fortunately, no damages were reported in Xalkidiki's apricot orchards, according to Mr. Diamantis Milinis, owner of the fruit packing company Sun Fruits: "The apricot orchards were spared because they are located on elevated areas that do not retain water or on sloping terrain, so they did not flood. Only in a few fields with young plantings, which are one or two years old, some trees were tilted by the strong winds, but thankfully we are not talking about a loss of the growers' investments. These trees will receive the necessary care and will not have any issues."
According to Mr. Milinis, the young plantings that were affected without suffering significant damage from the storm mostly concern new apricot varieties of red skin, spread across the entire production calendar of the local season. As the Greek trader explains: "These include the early varieties Priscia and Maya Cot, the mid-season Lady Cot, which is very popular, and the late Farbaly variety."
Plantings of red apricot varieties have been increasing every season for the past six years in Xalkidiki. "Although last year this did not lead into a production increase due to adverse weather conditions, this year growers expect a significant rise in red apricots production. Farmers are investing in red apricots, replacing old varieties such as Bebekou and Tirynthos, because they fetch much better prices than those. In a few years, there will be no Bebekou or Tirynthos in Xalkidiki. They will all be replaced with new red varieties," Mr. Milinis points out.
For more information:
Diamantis Milinis
Sun Fruits
Tel: +30 23730 32326
Email: [email protected]
http://www.sunfruits.gr/