Galery

1

Marina Nikolova 

Breeding snails, mushroom cultivation, growing saffron, olive products were among the interesting projects submitted by farmers from all over Greece during the first organized by the Ministry of Agriculture Forum “Greek Agriculture Innovates”. 

Minister Costas Skandalidis announced that the Forum will continue taking place in coming years as it is very important for farmers to share experiences and to learn about new ideas and problems during implementation of their projects. The Minister said that next year there will be two awards in seven areas for best performances project. 

Forum participants were divided into three halls of the Cultural Center “Athinais”, which held discussions on three themes: first - best practices in production related to biological and experimental agriculture and livestock, second theme – “from the field to the shelf” referred to trade, processing, etc., and the third - discussion on "Agribusiness and innovative activities”. 

One of the most important concepts that participants discussed was associated with the "extroversion" of Greek agriculture and production, and the creation of brands that will be identified and associated with quality of products such as “olive oil from Kalamata”. 

In relation to snail farms, which are fully equipped with Italian machinery and production methods are adopted from abroad, the coordinator of one of the themes stated that manufacturers should be very careful because the case can turn out to be very similar to those of genetically modified products. This is connected to the dependence of the manufacturer to foreign companies. This is why Panayota Vlahou, who has a snail farm since 2008, proposed the start of a research, which will help develop knowledge on the subject, which will come from Greece. For three years Panayota Vlahou and her collaborators have developed a total of 147 snail farms in Greece without being subsidized by the state. According to her, the ability to export abroad must be developed and production quality should be verified. Mrs. Vlahou estimated that one of the big advantages in doing business with snails is that the people engaged in it are between 19 and 47 years of age, who have left the urban centers and have chosen another way of life in nature. 

Another interesting project is connected with the cultivation of pomegranates and the manufacture and packaging of pomegranate juice. "Pomegranates have a strange taste - astringent, which is not enjoyed by all. Cultivation has existed for five years, and juices are on the shelves in stores for the last three years. We grow pomegranates in 500 acres of land without being subsidized. We have commissioned a study of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki on how to better store the fruit. Our goal is for pomegranates to be consumed like oranges. Oranges have vitamin C, while pomegranates have vitamin C, but also many antioxidants” said Panagiotis Kodzaridis. 

"The good news in agriculture is that in recent years imports have decreased and imports have increased. But several years ago of all Greek exports 33% were rural production, while now this percentage is only 22%. There is not only lack of innovation in production, but also lack of producer clusters. This is problematic because innovative techniques cannot be developed this way and products cannot be presented at international exhibitions, because if everyone goes alone, it comes out very expensive," said George Apostolidis, former president of the Organization for Verification and Monitoring of Agricultural Products (AGROCERT). 

One of the innovative projects proved to be with the cultivation of mushrooms, because a new kind of substrate for growing mushrooms was created. Currently, the company that was started in 2003 by two agronomists, employs 55 people. Of all mushroom species, 2500 are eatable and are not poisonous, while 200 are of strong pharmaceutical interest. The company is trying to start research that is associated with healing qualities of mushrooms. The bad side is that when going to public institutions to do their job, everyone looks at them suspiciously because they are mushroom producers. Therefore, the company representative asked for university professors to be found, who specialize in mushrooms, so that the public officials can turn to them and not behave suspiciously to the mushroom growers. Useful in the cultivation of mushrooms is the lack of multinational companies, because the mushrooms themselves are not producing harmful residues, and no fertilizers are used for their cultivation. 

"Things are not pessimistic in our country. You bring optimism with your work, your desire, your innovation... We will focus on quality, not quantity, which we cannot have as a country, for many reasons. I'm talking about the agricultural company “Achelos”, which are leaving to Germany. I'm talking about the company in Lesvos, which with the quality of their products conquered the market in China. Or the chicken production in Pindos, which export products in the Balkans. Also about the snails, for which I heard just now," said in his closing speech, PM George Papandreou.