More production of Greek watermelons is expected, says Nasos Zafirakis, owner of Greek fruit exporter Zafirakis Fruits: "We started planting watermelons in the Greenhouses approximately in the beginning of January. In March, we will start planting in an open field. I estimate that plantings in 2024 will be 10 per cent higher than they were last year. This winter is quite warm and this accelerates the growth of the plants. If everything goes well, we will have an earlier harvest than we did last year."
The increase in production breaks the trend of declining watermelon volumes, Zafirakis states. "In the last two years, there has been a decrease in planting, which has reached a reduction of about 30 per cent. In addition, in 2023 the rainy spring affected the plants and we had a significant reduction in production, reaching 40 per cent in many areas. However, the prices for that harvest were very good and thus balanced out the lower production."
Changing weather isn't a bad thing for the cultivation of watermelons, but it will create different problems in the future, Zafirakis thinks: "Climate changes have not affected the watermelon. On the contrary, I would say that high temperatures give us better quality and greater demand for the product. But we should start thinking about measures to address the lack of water, an issue that I suspect will appear in our country in the future."
Zafirakis has tried to bring down the company costs by going for green energy. "An investment we made in the last two years is in mechanical equipment. Our last investment was the installation of a photovoltaic system, in order to reduce the cost of electricity and be part of the green energy transition. For the season in general, we expect weather to be mild and the season to develop without problems. This means we can offer the quality or which the Greek watermelons are known for throughout Europe," he concludes.
For more information:
Nasos Zafirakis
Zafirakis Fruits
Tel: +30 2622061765
Email: zafirakisfruits@gmail.com
www.zafiraksfruit.gr