Lower yield of Greek watermelons expected

The new watermelon season in Greece is coming and Nasos Zafirakis, director of Zafirakis Fruits, hopes it will be a less difficult season than the previous one. "The last watermelon season was very complicated. Throughout the season, the production was very good, both in terms of quality and yield. The season therefore started with very good prospects and the demand for watermelons was also high early on. During the season "However, we faced many problems; workers, transport and competition with other countries. This year we expect to find solutions to these problems. But the problem of personnel could be even bigger this year than last season." As cultivation costs have risen, yields are expected to fall this year, Zafirakis said. "This year, the volumes of watermelons are about 10 to 15% lower than last year. The two main reasons for this are the increased production costs and, as I said, the possible lack of labor. It is difficult to predict in advance which markets will be ...