The harvest of the first Greek strawberries in the Ilia region is currently proceeding exceptionally well, while exports are not being hindered by the tractor blockades that have spread across Greece or at the customs on the country's northern borders, as shipments are, as always, departing from other points.
"We have no issues with distribution. Not yet, at least. Strawberry shipments to Germany and the rest of Europe do not pass through the roads currently blocked by tractors, nor through the customs at the northern borders. They leave, as always, by ship from the port of Patras and reach various markets via Italy," notes Dimitris Taktikos, owner of Taktikos SA.
© Taktikos SA
Regarding production, he adds: "We are in a good phase; the plants are in really excellent condition because the 'incubator', as we call the conditions of the location and the weather at the time of planting, was ideal. Last year, it was very hot, which caused the plants to burn. This year, the rainfall during that period was extremely favorable."
"These conditions have caused the early ripening of all varieties. The appearance and growth of the plants we see now would have only been visible in February last year. This development, combined with the significant increase in potted plantings, perhaps 100% more than last year, has already brought an early start to our harvest. However, we cannot yet estimate the exact difference in current productivity compared to last year. We are talking about Fortuna, Arwen, and other varieties. Producers have paid great attention to their early varieties," Taktikos adds.
© Taktikos SA
Early ripening is also expected for Victory, which continues to be the predominant variety in Greek strawberry greenhouses: "As for Victory, it will start giving us very small quantities around Christmas, slightly before or after. Going forward, if there are no complications from very cold weather in January and February, we can expect good quantities of this variety from February 15–20, whereas last year, we received them from March 15–20."
Finally, the rosy picture is somewhat clouded by competition from Egypt. "We see Egypt ahead, which increases its strawberry cultivation every year, but we are talking about outdoor crops, and their products reach the markets in poor quality. Nevertheless, they put pressure on us and our prices. The prices we are receiving in the first ten days of December are 15–20% lower compared to the same period last year," notes the Greek exporter.
For more information:
Dimitris Taktikos
Taktikos SA
Tel: +30 262 307 3124
Email: [email protected]
https://taktikos.com.gr/
