Despite the high prices that the Greek Acco pomegranates granted to the growers at the beginning of the season, the demand has flattened and now the prices have been almost halved. “Grower’ prices have fallen to 0,80-0,90 euros/kg these days, while at the beginning of the harvest period, they were at 1,50 euros,” states Mrs. Ksenia Galetsi, owner of specialized pomegranate grower and packer Grande Fructus.
There are also severe problems in Argolida’s Acco pomegranates, due to grasshoppers that ravage the orchards. As Mrs. Gkaletsi describes: “These insects damage the calyx of the fruits when this part of the fruit is still soft. At the beginning, while the fruits are still unripe, the damage is not obvious. However, the fruit has already been hurt and the damage makes its appearance only ten days before the harvest.” Consequently, the supply plans of the Acco growers in Argolida have been disturbed.
Ermioni brings hope for better days
Although the pomegranate season in Argolida is not progressing in a very pleasant way, the “heavy artillery” of the regional pomegranate industry hasn’t come on to the stage just yet. This is Ermioni, a special, PDO variety, named after the specific area, where its orchards lie. The harvest of Ermioni starts at the end of October, the ripening of the fruits so far seems to be proceeding normally, but according to Mrs. Gkaletsi “The cultivation process has been very demanding this year. We see no cracked fruits and the overall quality seems very good, but this has meant that we had to be extremely diligent, working closely with our agronomists. The very hot last few months made irrigation planning very demanding. Pomegranates and especially this exceptional variety need careful management. You have to be very prudent concerning the right water supply, both in terms of volume and timing,” stresses the Greek entrepreneur, adding that “it seems that the yield will be at last year’s levels, which would be about 1,2 tons per hectare.”
Ermioni’s harvest will reach its peak in November and, normally, the supply will be gone by Christmas. As for the prices, the growers’ expectations are high, especially for the organic fruits, because Ermioni is distinguished among the other pomegranates of the same harvest period. “For organic Ermioni pomegranates, growers can get up to 1,80 euros/kg,” estimates Mrs. Gkaletsi, who sends her organic products to Switzerland. The latest variety, Wonderful, will reach markets in November and, to date, there are no problem in their growing in Argolida.
For more information
Ksenia Gkaletsi
Grande Fructus
Tel: +30 69481 15589
grandefructus@gmail.com
https://www.grandefructus.com/
