Giorgos Polychronakis, the long-standing and dedicated Special Advisor of the Association of Greek Fruit and Vegetable Exporting Companies (Incofruit Hellas), passed away yesterday at the age of 84. He had been actively involved with the Association for more than twenty years, remaining engaged in his work until the very end.
Giorgos Polychronakis devoted his life to the development, promotion, and advancement of the fruit and vegetable sector. Tireless and exceptionally active despite his advanced age, he had been preparing weekly reports for many years on the progress of Greek fruit and vegetable exports. He was always on the front line of every issue, large or small, defending the interests of the Greek fruit and vegetable industry, never hesitating to denounce unfair practices — even when these involved Greek companies.
He was consistently outspoken about cases of illegal harvesting and trade, the mislabeling of imported produce as Greek, unfair import/export practices, and inadequate inspections. He continually emphasized the importance of quality, standardization, added value, and extroversion as essential conditions for export growth.
Giorgos Polychronakis also made a valuable contribution to the protection of the interests of the entire European fresh produce sector. He played an active role in exposing the 2011 scandal involving the defamation of European vegetables, when local authorities in Germany falsely claimed that Spanish organic cucumbers contaminated with the E.Coli bacterium were responsible for serious health problems that sent hundreds of consumers to hospitals at the time.
Communicative, helpful, extroverted, and passionate about his work, he served as a key hub of information, knowledge, and advocacy for Greek fruit and vegetable exports. A deep expert in his field who never stopped keeping himself informed about the latest developments in the sector, he was widely recognized and respected by everyone who worked with him, as well as by journalists who valued his credibility, immediacy, and reliability.
