Greek organic avocado output almost doubles as new trees come into bearing

Greek organic avocado exporter Edem Organic Fruits is expecting a positive season, with production almost twice last year’s level as newly planted trees begin contributing to volumes. However, fruit drop towards the end of summer affected the initial crop expectations, while September and October rainfall has delayed the start of harvesting. Apostolos Mylonakis says the quality is looking good and expects a strong season if conditions remain stable.

After flowering in May, the trees initially carried a heavy crop, raising expectations for the season. Those expectations were tempered towards the end of summer, when fruit began dropping from the trees. “After flowering the trees in May, we saw many, many crops on the trees, so we were expecting a really good year! At the end of August and beginning of September, the crops started falling down. So that affected the final results. But still, the production of this year remains quite nice!” Mylonakis says.

Despite the fruit drop, volumes are considerably higher than last season. “I can say that it is almost double the previous year, but that is because many new trees are giving us crops now,” he explains.

The quality is also encouraging, although recent rainfall has pushed back the start of the season. “The quality seems to be really good! The raindrops that we had in September and in October make us wait a bit longer than other years, but we are almost ready to start our season!” Mylonakis says. He adds that the company is optimistic about demand as more European consumers become familiar with Cretan organic avocados.

“We are expecting a good season as more people in Europe discover the Cretan organic avocado, which is really high quality. We are getting really good feedback from our partners and also from the last consumers. That gives us a lot of strength to continue our lovely job.”

Edem Organic Fruits currently sends its avocados to Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France, the Netherlands, Poland and Bulgaria. Denmark is a potential addition to the export programme this year, although Mylonakis says the company is also keen to develop business in markets where it already has a presence.

“We are trying. We hope to go to Denmark this year. We will be happier to find more partners in the countries that we already work in. I think that there is a lot of space for a product like this that we are producing. The positive feedback that we get from the people who are getting our products is giving us a lot of hope that the product still has a really big space to find more marketplaces.”

The wider situation remains a concern for the company, with the ongoing war affecting several parts of the supply chain. “The war that still exists is affecting the whole chain: people, farming, transportation, everything,” Mylonakis states. Nevertheless, the outlook for the remainder of the season is positive. “We are really positive that if something doesn’t change dramatically, we will have a great season!”

For more information:
Apostolos Mylonakis
Edem Organic Fruits
Tel: +30 698 086 3016
www.edem-oranges.gr
www.edem-fruits.gr