Decline in Greek agricultural production as fruit and vegetable imports surge

Greek agricultural production is in decline, with a sharp increase in fruit and vegetable imports. According to data from the Association of Greek Companies for the Export, Distribution, and Production of Fruit and Vegetable Juices, Incofruit Hellas there has been a swift rise in the import of fruits and vegetables.

In particular, for the first five months of this year, imports totalled 383,324 tons compared to 310,979 tons for the same period last year, marking a growth of 23.26%. In April alone, fruit and vegetable imports reached 88,851 tons compared to 59,156 tons in the same month in 2023.

According to Georgios Polychronakis, a special advisor to the association, these figures indicate a real risk of abandoning the cultivation of agricultural crops and replacing the supply chain with cheap imported products from third countries. Incofruit Hellas has recently proposed measures to address market disruptions.

The import breakdown for the five months by major product categories is as follows:

195,572 tons of potatoes (+37.39%), mainly from Egypt, Cyprus, France, and Germany.
117,569 tons of bananas (+10.82%), primarily from Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Colombia.
8,239 tons of onions (-56.73%), from Austria, the Netherlands, Egypt, Germany, and Peru.
1,392 tons of tomatoes (+38.92%), mainly from Turkey, Germany, and the Netherlands.
2,213 tons of peppers (+36.86%), mainly from Jordan, Israel, Bangladesh, and Spain.
1,893 tons of apples (+173.84%), sourced from Skopje, followed by Italy and Poland.
2,808 tons of avocados (+42.03%), from the Netherlands, Israel, and Cyprus.
1,348 tons of kiwis (+564.04%), from Iran, Italy, and Spain.
4,329 tons of lemons (+79.03%), from Turkey, Egypt, Spain, Argentina, and the Netherlands.
3,700 tons of pears (+105.56%), from Italy, followed by the Netherlands, South Africa, and Argentina.
5,961 tons of mushrooms (+4.29%), from Poland, Romania, and the Netherlands.

Source: rua.gr