FreshPlaza: Good prospects for Greek Pristine grapes despite climate challenges

Greek Pristine® grapes will travel to Qatar this year, with the harvest starting at the end of September, while the first significant volumes will be harvested at the beginning of October. Mr. Yorgos Papadopoulos, head of the Macedonian Vineyards Producers’ Group in Kilkis, Greece, which is the only group of licensed Pristine growers in Greece, says that “while other Greek growers of other varieties face significantly low production or even no fruit set at all due to the climate challenges, our production protocol enables us to reach 85% of the normal production.”

Although of good production volume and fine quality, this year’s crop will be considerably early compared to last year, due to the summer heat. Last year, the harvest had begun at the end of October.

Uprooting of illegal plantations
Pristine is cultivated in 100 hectares in Kilkis under strict cultivation protocols by Macedonian Vineyards. However, there are illegal plantations as well. Some illegal planted vineyards, placed in Kavala, have just been uprooted last Wednesday, after a recent judicial decision which obliged two violators of the protected variety, one grower and one grower-packer, to uproot the illegal plantations on their own expenses and to never handle this variety (“ACS V 01”) again, in any form.

“This is a very important development and the first time that such a decision is being taken and applied for illegal Pristine plantations in Greece,” states Mr. Papadopoulos adding that according to his own estimations “there are some 400-500 hectares more of such illegal plantations in our country, but we will strongly continue the fight against them.”

As for the general situation of the illegal Pristine plantations in Greece, the lawyer of the plaintiff firm, Luribay Business Inc., Mrs. Despina Kasapidou, states that “the company is taking dynamic action against the already offending growers, with lawsuits pending against them, and more will be filed, as there is a large number of offenders in Greece. At the same time, documents are being sent to every public service involved, and meetings are being held with the heads of state agencies.”

She adds that “there is widespread illegality concerning registered plant varieties in Greece, and it is usually difficult to issue a court decision because the offenders; growers, nurserymen, and distributors, being aware of their illegality, protect themselves in various ways, mainly by assigning a different name to the product being distributed.”

Moreover, as the Greek lawyer mentions: “The issue of the illegality of registered plant varieties is known to the Ministry’s services, but there is sluggishness and delay in the enforcement of the law for various reasons. The implementation of Regulation 2100/94 and the harmonization of Directive 48/2004 in Greek legislation are particularly demanding in relation to the evidentiary process of illegality, which favors the offenders.” “My law firm, Dspina Kasapidou and Associates, with the notable involvement of my associate, lawyer Agni Louka, has the experience and expertise to handle similar cases of intellectual property rights, especially concerning plant varieties, and is available to offer reliable and valid services to anyone in need,” concludes Mrs. Kasapidou.

For more information
Yorgos Papadopoulos
Macedonian Vineyards
Tel: +30 69492 00035
info@macedonian-vineyards.gr
https://macedonian-vineyards.gr/