He affirms that the company’s production is about 20% smaller than last year. “On the one hand, the yield per hectare has been 50% lower, also with fewer hectares planted, and on the other hand, the Russian embargo has led to shipments dropping to levels below those of a normal season.”
The embargo has, in fact, been damaging to both large supermarkets and importers, and has forced exporters to seek alternative markets. For its part, “Protofanousi continues to export to Balkan countries, like Romania or Bulgaria, and also tried shipping to supermarkets in Central Europe, although this was abandoned, since it proved too risky, as the detection of the smallest problem often meant the supermarket would reject the whole batch,” says George.
In addition to exporting, the firm also sells its strawberries in the local wholesale market, where, according to Mr Kallitsis, they distribute between 5 and 10 pallets per day. “It is a market that registers strong fluctuations in sales volumes, although April is a good month for strawberries in terms of prices, since they face little competition from other fruits.”
For more information:
George Kallitsis
Protofanousi
Tel.: +30 2310289195
Skype: george_kallitsis
E-mail: georgek@proto.gr
Photo By Pamela Riemenschneider