The apple season lasts all year in Greece, and this year has been a good one, says Zacharis from Oporello: “The quantities have been solid and the quality has been really good. We export about 70% of our apples to Arabic countries at the moment, with the rest going to various European countries.”
When asked if Poland’s huge amount of apples is meddling with their markets, the definitive answer is no: “We grow Red Delicious apples, where as Poland mostly grows Golden varieties. Therefor the demand for our apples remains, no matter how much apples Polish exporters put on the market. We are optimistic when it comes to competition from other apple growing countries, as the quality level of Greek apples is quite competitive. Our position in the international market is getting stronger every year.”
Oporello would like to expand its markets and is looking towards India, Zacharis explains: “The Greek government has made an agreement with India regarding the phytosanitary requirements, giving us the green light to export our apples to India. This was forbidden before, so it's a great opportunity for us. India is a big country with a lot of residents. We will have competition though, as I believe India works a lot with the United States as well.”
The agreement with India made for an easy entrance during Fruit Attraction 2018 in Madrid. “Madrid was great, the fair gave us an opportunity to meet a lot of new potential buyers from India. Those meetings went really well, so the future for the relationship with India is looking quite bright!”
Oporello’s main products are apples and kiwis, but the company also cultivates pomegranates, pears, cherries, nectarines, apricots, plums and quinces.
