The Greek citrus season has only just begun, but quality, sizes, and demand are expected to be on a good level this year, says Spiros Tampakis, owner of Greek citrus exporter Tampakis Fresh: "The citrus season is just starting in Greece with the early clementine varieties, so volumes are still very low. We expect the season to be in full swing around early to mid-November with the Clemenules and Navelinas. The weather has been quite favorable up to now, with a mild summer compared to previous years and a normal autumn so far. Fruit quality and sizes are good, and it seems like there will be strong market demand."
Looking at the volumes, Tampakis expects similar quantities to last year. "Production volumes are similar to last year; some areas suffered from drought and low water tables, which translates to high EC (saline) water. In the western part of Greece, our base is blessed with rich water resources, so we rarely have production or size problems."
© Tampakis Fresh
For the next few weeks, the season should be smooth sailing, but Tampakis emphasizes that the uncertainty hits once other continents start entering the market: "We expect a good citrus demand up to Christmas, depending, of course whether the weather is cold in Europe and people ask for oranges and mandarins. It's hard to make predictions on the second half of the season, which is when non-European countries enter the game. We are mostly facing competition from countries outside the EU. Every year, our businesses have to adjust to new legislation, which adds costs and makes production harder. We have to innovate in order to stay competitive."
To develop his business further, Tampakis looks for both investments for his orchards as well as new varieties to plant: "My company's focus and specialization is on easy peelers with leaves. We strive to produce high-quality mandarins for markets both in Greece and the EU. We're always seeking new technologies to improve our orchards, and new varieties to widen the production calendar. Last year, we invested in a new 20-hectare orchard, where we planted new licensed varieties like Valley Gold and Clemenluz. This year, during Fruit Attraction, we also saw new early clementine varieties, like Clemenlola and XLO, that look promising."
© Tampakis Fresh
Tampakis would like to help Greece catch up a bit in terms of diversity in citrus varieties: "A serious issue is that Greece lacks the varietal diversity of Spain. The citrus varieties are old, and most importantly, the choice of rootstocks in local nurseries is limited to citrumelo and sour orange. Licensed protected varieties are practically non-existent in the Greek citrus industry. This situation presents challenges as well as opportunities, since there are growing areas like Etoloakarnania with high soil fertility and abundant water reserves. With this in mind, we founded a company, Neocitrus Hellas, in cooperation with Alcaplant nurseries in Spain, to introduce new varieties with suitable rootstocks for the Greek market," he concludes.
For more information:
Spiros Tampakis
Tampakis Fresh
Email: [email protected]
www.tampakisfresh.com
