Articles
APRICOT PRODUCTION IN GREECE
The industry in recent years has been reduced, even though the prices succeeded by the farmers at the market are considered very good, because of Sharka disease.
The apricot industry is located in a small area of Peloponnesos (Southern Greece) and in the peninsula of Halkidiki (Makedonia- Greece). The main cultivars used are the greek ones Bebecou (95%) and Tirynthos (5%). Both are very susceptible to sharka and therefore, besides the big scale of tree losses that have been noticed, very small acreage is planted with apricot trees.
The most common rootstock used is the apricot seedling.
Most of the apricot production(50–60%) goes to the canning industry and the product, that is of high quality, is being exported to many countries.
Approximately 20% of the production goes for fresh consumption to local or foreighn markets.
During the period 1993–94 relatively large quantities were withdrawn from the market because of transportation problems during the war in the Former Republic of Yugoslavia.
New cultivars of good quality and simultaneously resistant to sharka are very desirable for the future of the industry.
Apricot culture in Greece goes back to the ancient times; it was well known before the coming of the peach.
The apricot fruit, fresh or canned, is very popular in Greece.
The cultivated area used to be more than 7,000 ha but recently it has been reduced to 4,500 ha (table 1), approximately, because of the sharka problem, as well as of the inability of all the quantities produced to be absorbed by the market or the canning industry.
The reduction of cultivated area with apricots was incorporated in a European Union (EU) project (1990–1993).
Total apricot production varies from year to year, mainly because of frost problems in spring, however, it is expected to be around 75,000 tons /year, under normal weather conditions (table 1).
The apricot quantities produced are consummed fresh, used by the canning industry or withdrawn.
Fresh apricots are sold either in the local or exported to foreign markets and mainly to EU markets (tables 1 and 3).
A big drop of greek apricot exports to Europe has been noticed during the last 5 years, a phenomenon that needs to be investigated.
Greek apricots used to cover 45% of the german market needs in 1990, but it has been reduced to 23%, in 1994, for Netherlands the relative numbers are 52% and 20%, for the years 1990 and 1994, respectively.
A very possible explanation could be the difficulties that greek exports had faced because of the war in the Former Republic of Yugoslavia.
Greek fruits had to find other ways to be transported to Europe, besides Yugoslavia.
Alternatives ways were found but all of them were either longer and (or) more expensive than the previous ones.
Spanish apricot exports to Germany increased by 30%, as much as the reduction noticed in the Greek exports during last 5 years ; a similal situation has been noticed in the Dutch market (table 5).
The apricot industry is not a big one; it is 5th in order, compared with those of peach, olive, citrus or apple industry (table 2).
The canning industry plays a key role in the apricot market, since it absorbs most of the apricots produced in the country (some years up to 60%). Greece is the 2nd big supplier of