Mounting Concerns in Greece as Harvest Nears

The persistent novel coronavirus has cast its shadow on the upcoming harvesting season in Greece, spreading anxiety among growers and producers. Apart from shaking up the agricultural sector of the country, the pandemic has brought along travel restrictions and local quarantines, threatening the availability of foreign workers at harvest time. “We trade olive oil from every corner of Greece, and the next season is a big mystery to us,” Dimitris Andriotis, an olive oil exporter from Corfu, told Olive Oil Times. ​“From what we know so far, Greece will produce around 200,000 tons of olive oil, but we are worried about how the harvest is going to unfold.” “Most workers come from the Balkan countries and we do not currently know if they will show up this year and how their health is going to be checked and verified,” he added. ​“There will likely be some health protocols for COVID-19, but no one has yet informed us about anything.” One of the first territories in need of seasonal ...