The kiwifruit harvest in Pieria began with some irregularities in the progress of the work. "The rains that started on October 16 and lasted for several days temporarily prevented us from collecting the fruit, although they had a beneficial effect on it. At the same time, however, trade was moving forward, even though the real losses in the markets had already occurred some time ago due to the uncontrolled and unpunished harvesting of unripe fruit and their direct shipment abroad straight from the fields. Even the fines imposed, if anyone ever gets caught, are trivial, only 500 euros," says Mr. Giorgos Tokas, owner of the packing and exporting company Tokas Olymp Fruits, based in Pieria.
© Tolas Olymp Fruits
Regarding the production outlook, Mr. Tokas notes: "It's not uncommon to find soft fruit hanging on the trees. The reason lies in poor cultivation practices and particularly in fertilizations carried out at the wrong time, aiming solely to increase fruit size. Nevertheless, the general fruit size profile is slightly smaller compared to last year, while the overall production volume is somewhat higher, due to many young orchards that have also entered production this year."
© Tolas Olymp Fruits
At the same time, the Greek exporter points out that growers have managed to impose their own terms in negotiations with traders. "The prices growers sell their fruit for are between €1,25 and €1,30 per kilo. No one wants to hear about anything below €1,00, and they demand that you take their entire production, which means an additional cost of 10 cents per kilo due to sorting."
© Tolas Olymp Fruits
Under these circumstances, Tokas Olymp Fruits has decided to move very cautiously. "There's no way we'll buy fruit to sell on the open market, as we did last year. We have arranged supply programs with our already established clients until April and will stick to those. Only if a cancellation occurs will we look for new buyers. It is unreasonable to bet on free market sales with such expensive kiwifruit. We confirmed this at Fruit Attraction. Very few companies can operate comfortably in such a high-price environment," the company's owner explains.
© Tolas Olymp Fruits
"Our markets are Canada, Brazil, and Europe. We have left the U.S. out of the discussion. The increased tariffs forced us to withdraw from that market. Finally, it is a shame that in Greece there are no programs promoting kiwi consumption in schools, despite its proven health benefits. Greece is a kiwifruit powerhouse, yet the state offers no support to exporters, not even for their participation in international trade fairs, where assistance is minimal," Mr. Tokas concludes.
For more information:
Giorgos Tokas
Tolas Olymp Fruits
Tel: +30 235 105 3789
Mob: +30 697 661 6146
[email protected]
https://tokasolympfruits.com/en/
