“In 2005, we took advantage of a European program for the cultivation of 8,000 stremmas throughout the country, with approximately 1,000 producers. In 2008-09, the cultivation was concluded. It was the largest cultivation effort in the Mediterranean. In 2012-13, fruiting began, and processing began with the headquarters in Agios Athanasios, in Drama. Following the production of juice, the commercial operations began in Greece and around the world,” Antonis Athanasiadis, head of Fruit and Vegetable Growers Agricultural Cooperative, said to “N”.
“We are the leading force in terms of pomegranate products, mainly pomegranate juice, and have a presence in 18 countries abroad. From Singapore to Europe, from Cyprus to the USA and almost on all continents,” he noted, while regarding competition, he commented that “on a global scale, the main competitors are the Turks, then there are countries from Latin America and countries such as Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan.”
“We have basic agricultural pillars in Drama, Kavala, Xanthi, Serres. There is also Thessaly and Central Greece and of course the Peloponnese. We have producers from as far as Crete and Limnos.” Regarding the problems and challenges facing the sector, Athanasiadis noted: “Based on data from five years ago, around 23,000 stremmas are cultivated in our country. However, we have an aging rural population, the new generation is not following suit, while we have small and scattered farms, and as a result small production in all crops is no longer sustainable. We have the phenomenon of over-concentration of cultivation in the hands of a few.”
