Most quantities of this year’s production, which is at the end of its harvest, have left for Italy, but commercial transactions were also made in other markets, such as neighboring Bulgaria and Romania.
“There is lively interest from the trade. It helped that Turkey entered the market late, while Italy, to which 90% of our production has already been sold, has a small production,” Giorgos Bagis, president of AS Ormas in Pella, emphasized to Agrenda. He also said that the average price for extra category chestnuts (up to 40 pieces per kilo) is 3.30 euros, in category “A” (up to 55 pieces) it is 3 euros per kilo and in “B” (up to 75 pieces) between 2.20-2.30 euros per kilo.
Better prices, but a big loss of production
“Compared to last year’s disastrous year, we are better in terms of prices, but the loss of production is great, reaching 40% to 50%, while the cost of production exceeds 1.5 euros per kilo. Fortunately, this year the picture is a little better with gray rot, which affects about 25% of the production”, says Mr. Bagis.
More generally in the province of Almopia, this year, as estimated by Vangelis Pasoi, a member of GEKOSA, they are around 400 kilos per hectare and show a drop of over 40%. “In the mountains, the picture is better in terms of yields, but also quality”, he says and notes that “extra prices are at 3.10 euros per kilo, at 3A they are at 2.70 euros, at A at 2.20 euros and for small change at 1.20 euros”.
The positive thing this year, according to the producer Yannis Tsapa, from the village of Loutraki, is that in the large size categories, extra and A, about 30% and 60% of this year’s production is classified, while the “small” category B is limited to 10%. “The extras were also sold at 3.5 euros, while the category A chestnuts were paid at 2.90 – 3 euros with immediate payment,” says the producer. Reduced production by 50% was also recorded in Pieria, with producer Kostas Samaras from the village of Kato Milia pointing out that commercial interest is lively
