Crete and Ilia, two of the most important Galia melon cultivation zones in Greece, have been in production for quite some time, with growers receiving very good prices for their products, especially for the Zepo variety, which reached up to 2,53 euros per kilo in mid-May. By the end of last week, however, the grower price for all types of Galia had stabilized at around 1,30 euros.
"Prices have decreased compared to the start of the season, but they are still high, much higher than in previous seasons," says Mr. Christos Samaris, owner of Samaris S.A. in Ilia, who started harvesting greenhouse-grown melons about 15 days ago.
"Our company has increased the area planted with melons this year. However, across the prefecture of Ilia as a whole, there is a decline. Greenhouse cultivation has dropped by 30%. This helps prevent the market from being flooded with melons, but another very likely reason for the high prices is that this year, melons are filling the gap left on the market by cherries and apricots, which suffered extensive damage and are very expensive for consumers," Mr. Samaris notes.
The Greek trader adds that prices are good, but exports remain limited: "At the moment, this is not the most productive phase for melons. We're harvesting large fruits — between 800 and 1,700 grams — but yields are around 25–30 tons per hectare. This means it's not easy to complete a full truckload. As a result, exports are limited and done via groupage."
June is expected to bring changes to all aspects of the commercial landscape. "Greenhouse melons in Ilia will stop around June 10, giving way to open-field crops, whose plantings are also down this year by 15–20%. Still, there will be more open-field melon compared to the greenhouse ones. In June, melons from Trikala will also enter the market. In general, the increased volumes next month will put pressure on prices, but they will give us the opportunity to boost exports to Romania and Bulgaria. However, we don't have much time. At the end of June, those countries start harvesting their own melons," Mr. Samaris concludes.
For more information:
Christos Samaris
Samaris S.A.
Tel: +30 262 307 1143
Email: [email protected]
https://samaris.gr/en/welcome/