{"id":1328,"date":"2023-05-08T13:16:50","date_gmt":"2023-05-08T10:16:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/greekfruits.eu\/?p=1328"},"modified":"2023-05-08T13:16:50","modified_gmt":"2023-05-08T10:16:50","slug":"eurofruit-freskon-attracts-record-numbers-in-greece","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greekfruits.eu\/en\/eurofruit-freskon-attracts-record-numbers-in-greece\/","title":{"rendered":"EUROFRUIT: Freskon attracts record numbers in Greece"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Last month\u2019s Freskon exhibition welcomed its highest number of visitors and exhibitors in Thessaloniki, as it aimed to connect suppliers with Europe\u2019s largest retailers<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Freskon recorded a significant increase in visitor numbers on 23-25 April, with the fruit and vegetables exhibition receiving 4,339 attendees at the Thessaloniki International Exhibition Centre, according to organisers Tif-Helexpo.<\/p>\n

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\"FRESKON<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

This year\u2019s event attracted 217 exhibitors from 12 countries \u2013 Greece, Moldova, Romania, Poland, Hungary, the Netherlands, Cyprus, Italy, Spain, India, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Turkey \u2013 25 per cent more than in 2022.<\/p>\n

The International Citrus Fruit Congress was held on the exhibition floor, with presentations and discussions covering topics from the development of propagation materials and modern orchard organising to integrated post-harvest management and marketing.<\/p>\n

More than 2,000 targeted business meetings were held between hosted buyers and participating companies, thanks in part to FreshCon Market, which served to connect Greek suppliers with the largest supermarket chains in Europe.<\/p>\n

Sixteen supermarket chains from 11 countries \u2013 Greece, Cyprus, Serbia, Albania, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Belarus, Lithuania, Kosovo and Ukraine \u2013 held 640 trade meetings with fruit and vegetable professionals during the event, according to Freskon.<\/p>\n

Alexandra Bicu of Moldova Fruct said Moldovan companies were looking to enter new markets, especially in the EU. \u201cOur apples, plums and apricots have excellent taste, so we are focusing on these in this market, especially our different stonefruit varieties.\u201d<\/p>\n

Monica Szewcyk of Poland\u2019s Agro Queens said the company was interested in exploring export opportunities in Greece after a hiatus from the market, and was keen to see what had changed and how its products, including organic apples and vegetables, might best fit the market.<\/p>\n

BioSun, formed in the 1990s, is one of the oldest and largest organic companies in Greece and is seeing good growth in organics, according to\u00a0founder Michalis Pachnos.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt may not be as big as in Germany or Scandinavia, but Greece is slowly following the rest of Europe,\u201d he said. \u201cGiven the enormous challenges this country has faced over the past few years, I think it\u2019s doing quite well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Labour and climate top challenges<\/strong><\/p>\n

For most producers in Greece, as in most of Europe, a shortage of workers, both in the fields and in the packhouses, is a major issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe lack of workers is the biggest problem for farmers in Greece,\u201d confirmed Athanasia Serdari of ACN Naoussa. \u201cMany people don\u2019t want to work in the packhouse or on the farm.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe main problem in strawberries is that we don\u2019t have a lot of workers,\u201d added Christos Georgiou of Berry Plasma. \u201cSome farmers are leaving outdoor fields unpicked because they can\u2019t harvest them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a very big problem across Europe,\u201d said Efthymios Balanis of Asepop Velventos, \u201cperhaps the biggest, along with the climate issue.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Balanis, changing weather conditions are a big concern. \u201cThe weather conditions have changed a lot, and it\u2019s been very difficult for peach and nectarine producers in recent years,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have had a lot of rain and a lot of hail, and that is a disaster for stonefruit.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMany farmers have cut down peach and nectarine trees due to the bad market,\u201d continued Serdari. \u201cThey are looking at alternative products like kiwifruit, so it\u2019s no surprise that Greek kiwifruit volumes are on the rise.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elena Kolios of Greek kiwifruit exporter Kolios said that the season had gone much better than expected after a tricky 2021\/22 campaign for Greek kiwifruit. For Kolios, the shift to golden kiwifruit continues, with the plan being not to overproduce the highly sought-after Soreli variety in order to maintain the good price level.<\/p>\n

Massimo Ceradini, CEO of Greek-Italian kiwifruit supplier King Fruit, said the priority was to focus on high quality. \u201cWe are choosing the best growers in Greece, and trying to bring in some of our Italian know-how,\u201d he said. \u201cWe want to be attractive to growers that want to produce the highest quality, so we pay them well. We have been very satisfied this season, especially as expectations at the start of the campaign were not so good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Technologies offer various solutions<\/strong><\/p>\n

Of course, labour shortages are a Europe-wide issue. Alexandra Bicu of Moldova Fruct said the problem was particularly acute in Moldova\u2019s countryside.<\/p>\n

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