Greenhouse tomatoes in Filiatra have had a good start of the season in terms of prices at origin, as reported by growers to newspaper Agrenda.
Specifically, prices at origin in Filiatra this week stood at 50 cents per kilo for quality tomatoes, while retail prices in Athens reached 70-80 cents per kilo. It is worth noting that a large part of the production was unmarketable due to high temperatures in summer and the impact of tuta absoluta, which hit local cultivation.
As told to Agrenda by Kostas Angelopoulos, an agronomist from Elis, sharp temperature swings have caused some quality problems in the tomatoes.
However, in Preveza, where the harvest has been on-going for about two weeks, prices are "below cost," stresses Dimitris Kavadi, president of the horticultural cooperatives of Preveza. Prices range between 35 and 55 cents per kilo, depending on the quality, while last year they reached 45-70 cents per kilo.
"Prices have been under pressure by tomato imports from Albania and other Balkan countries over the last ten days," believes Mr Kavadi. This is because the production in the area has been reduced by 30-35% as a result of the prolonged high temperatures recorded up until mid-September.
It is worth noting that the greenhouse tomato harvest is also starting in Crete these days.
