Greek lemons are endangered: street markets are filled with imported ones

With heavy losses due to the unfavorable climatic conditions created this spring, lemon production in the Aegialia region is undergoing a crisis.

Producers say the harvest has been reduced by at least 50%, resulting in slow citrus harvests in the two main production zones, Aegialia and Corinth.

According to Temenis cooperative representative Triantafyllos Loukopoulos, another agricultural product that supports the economy of Aegialia is experiencing a large shortage. According to Mr Loukopoulos, climatic conditions with heavy rainfall during the flowering period created problems with ovary (and fruit formation), resulting in “too few lemons” on the trees compared to previous years.

Producer prices fell to 50-60 cents per kilogram from 80 cents at which last year’s products could be purchased. The main reason, according to Mr. Loukopoulos, is “Grecization” of imported lemons, which are mixed with domestic ones for the purpose of adulteration. At the same time, there is an increase in imports of lemons from Argentina, South Africa, the Netherlands and Turkey, which have “strangled” the market. According to preliminary data ELSTAT for the 9th month, imports in September 2023 increased by 59%.

The problem, according to Mr Loukopoulos, is not so much in prices, but in product qualityas large quantities of citrus fruits imported from third countries are returned after being found to contain banned pesticides.

Aegialia a few years ago represented ¼ of the domestic lemon production with a volume of 40,000 tons and even an early harvest, which created particularly favorable conditions. However, this year production has fallen to 15,000 tonnes, according to Mr Loukopoulos.

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