Low Demand Coupled With Oversupply of Iceberg Lettuce in Greece

Greece experienced high volumes of summer iceberg lettuce on the market during July 2022 coupled with unexpectedly low demand from the retail sector leading to cuts in the iceberg delivery program. Lettuce yields in high altitude plains were high this season due to favourable weather conditions in the form of good rain in June and mild temperatures in July, minimizing yield losses. Producers regret not investing in export expeditions to the Middle East this year and are running promotions to local retailers to push sales. If the low demand continues in the coming weeks, producers will abandon crops and the harvest teams move on to other production areas (pears and apples season starts soon), leading to significant losses for producers.