By Giorgos Lampiris
With the aim of driving a wedge between the top two in the market, namely Chrysa Avga which in 2022 based on its last balance sheet had a turnover of 32.7 million euros (losses after taxes of 1.2 million euros) and Vlahakis APEE with a turnover of in the same year 15.8 million euros (profits after taxes 334 thousand euros) the Poultry Farm of Ioannina with a turnover of 8.9 million euros and profits after taxes 168.98 thousand euros and the same interests, Ovo Fresco ABEE with a trademark of Epirotika Avga and Ovo Freco, respectively, completed this year a five-year investment plan of 15 million euros and is proceeding with new investments during the years 2025-2030 which will amount to an additional 15 million euros.
Greece ranks 16th in European egg production – France is first
It should be noted that based on the data released by the Commission on April 18, it appears that Greece is stable in terms of annual egg production with zero change in recent years. Our country is in 16th place in terms of produced quantities which in 2022 reached 90,000 tons, in 2023 it was also 90,000 tons and this year the produced quantities based on the data of the Commission will be exactly at the same levels.
Dominant in the European Union of 27 states is France with 958,180 tons in 2022, 980,600 tons in 2023 and forecast for 1,033,380 tons in 2024. In second place is Germany with production of 985,000 tons in 2022, 958,000 tons in 2023 and forecast for 970,000 tons in 2024. Third country based on produced quantities is Spain with 870,000 tons in 2022, 914,000 tons in 2023 and forecast for also 914,000 tons in 2024.
Continued increase in the price of eggs in Greece in 2024 despite the decrease in the E.U. of 27
It is interesting to note that based on the latest available data from the Commission for 100 kg of eggs, Greece up to February 5 had the second highest rate of price increase after Estonia (18.3%) comparing March 2024 with March of 2023, with a rate of 8% from 229.08 euros to 247.34 euros.
It is even noted that the price for 100 kg of eggs in Greece was this March at 247.34 euros, above the average price of the 27 EU member states. which was 230.43, reduced by 12.4% in March this year compared to March 2023. However, it should be mentioned that in 2023 – given the significant increase in the cost of feed and energy – all 27 countries had proceed to average increases of 25.3% during 2023 and in relation to 2022, with the country that presented the largest appreciations in this case being Spain with 44.1%, which however in March 2024 in relation to with March 2023 it had reduced the price for 100 kg of eggs by 18%, to 201.15 euros.
The two poultry farms of the Fragoulis family and the investments of 30 million
The companies Poultry of Ioannina and Ovo Fresco, which belong to the Fragoulis business family and maintain a commercial partnership with the Poultry Cooperative of Pindos, are based in Bizani, Ioannina. In 2022 they had a turnover of 10.39 million euros with a loss after taxes of 211 thousand euros. In 1962, Epirotiki Ioannina was founded and in 2000, Ovo Fresco, with the first exports of the latter taking place in 2001, today maintaining a presence in all the Balkan countries, Eastern Europe and Pindos. The daily production for the two companies after the recently implemented investment of 15 million euros amounts to approximately 250,000 eggs per day.
The investment plan that ran in the years 2019-2024, amounting to 15 million euros, had as its object the renewal of the machinery of the Ioannina Poultry, the energy autonomy with the installation of 1MW photovoltaics, the change of the pasteurization complex on behalf of Ovo Fresco and the renewal of the truck fleet – refrigerators. 70% of the specific investment came from equity, as reported by the general manager of the company, Panagiotis Fragoulis. In addition, a model free-range egg production unit and a barn with five poultry houses and a capacity of 110 thousand hens were created.
In the upcoming investments of the years 2025 to 2030, a second unit of alternative breeding with a capacity of 200 thousand chickens is to be created in the Estate maintained by the company in Kalpaki, where the goal is that 70% of the production comes from free-range chickens, exceeding the European average. At the same time, resources will be spent on the development of Ovo Fresco with the installation of new technological equipment for the production of innovative egg products and the creation of new refrigerators and warehouses.
He noted in the context of a related presentation that the “Peirotika Eggs” brand, produced by the Poultry of Ioannina, currently holds 10% of the Greek egg production and 45% of the Greek market of pasteurized eggs.
The distribution of its products is carried out by a privately owned fleet of refrigerated trucks as well as by trucks of the Pindos Cooperative, with which, as mentioned above, there is commercial cooperation.
The company maintains 40 acres and 7 poultry farms in Bizani, Ioannina, where the industrial unit of Ovo Fresco for the pasteurization of eggs is also located, while it has a privately owned factory for the production of animal feed. In addition, it maintains an area of 80 acres in Kalpaki of Ioannina, with 5 poultry farms producing barn and free-range eggs, being a fully vertically integrated production enterprise.
