The alarming message arrives from northern Greece, mainly Imathia, where cooperatives talk about low peach prices that do not even exceed 0.25 Euro. Local industries, however, reassure producers, stressing that "for some varieties the price will reach 0.27 Euro and should remain at that level."
The problems in the sale of peaches are mostly due to oversupply and to problems with their export, mainly to Russia and Ukraine.
Last year, the price of peaches for processing reached 0.32-0.35 Euro. This year, the first variety harvested, the "Catherine", should stand at around 0.24 Euro; which is likely to go up, as production costs keep growing. The variety "Andros" should reach 0.25 Euro and the "Evert" is expected to reach 0.27 Euro.
The biggest blow this year for Greek peaches, which rely heavily on exports, arrived from the Russian market. The events of Ukraine and the devaluation of the Rouble have "halted" most exports. Additionally, consumption volumes in northern Europe and the Balkans, which are advantageous for Greece due to its geographical location, have dropped significantly. The first reports talk about 0.40 Euro/kilo, when last year the price ranged between 0.50 and 0.60 Euro per kilo.
As for substandard peaches, which are normally used for juicing, prices have not exceeded 0.12-0.15 Euro, with some producers in the province of Tyrnavou stating that they have been paid as little as 0.08-0.09 Euro per kilo.
Source: eleftheria.gr