An introduction to Greek Agriculture
Source: Hellenic Republic
NATIONAL STATISTICAL SERVICE OF GREECE
THE AGRICULTURAL POPULATION
The population of Greece was estimated to be approximately 10.964.000 in 2001. Estimations as of January 2008 count approximately 11,215,000 inhabitants in the Greek peninsula.
The rural population represents about 20% of the active population, i.e. somewhat 705.000 people (based on estimations as of January 2008). The main agricultural areas are the plains of Thrace, Macedonia, Thessaly, Peloponnese and Crete. The large majority of farmers are either self-employed or relatives working on family holdings.
There are about 705.000 farmers principally engaged in agriculture and cultivate approx. 38.800 thousand of the land- 40% of these are elderly (over 65 years), while another 20% are between 45 and 65 years old. These two categories own about 60% of the rural land. Demand for farm labour is highly seasonal (for example for the olive and grape harvests).
LAND CLASSIFICATION
The total area of Greece is 13.2 million ha. The total agricultural land is 38.820 thousand ha, of which approx. 18.000 thousand ha are arable lands, 30.000 thousand ha pastures and 29.400 thousand ha forests. 45% of the total arable land is situated in mountainous or semi-mountainous regions. The irrigated areas represent about 25% of the cultivated land.
Greek farming consists mainly of small private holdings, amounting to about 1 million. Most farmers own their land.
MAIN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS
1. Cereals
Cereals – wheat in particular – are among the traditional cultivation of Greece. Wheat cultivation is now mechanized to a large extend.
Cereal Production Average figures 2000 Area cultivated (in thousand ha) Production in thousand tons)
Wheat 8.554 2.073
Maize 2.091 1.949
Rice 259 162
Barley 1.392 321
2 Fruit and Vegetables
The rise in the standard of living has led to an intensification of fruit and vegetable production. Example: Total production of vegetables in 1998: 4,745.000 tons Total production of vegetables in 2000: 4,795,000 tons
About 50% of the fruit is cultivated in mountainous and semi-mountainous regions. Vegetables are mainly produced in the Peloponnese, East Macedonia, Thrace, Thessaly, Euboea and Crete. Citrus fruit comes mainly from Crete, the Peloponnese and Epirus. The growing demand includes also off-season products. As a consequence, Greek farmers now cultivate 5 thousand ha with off-season vegetables and strawberries.
3 Olive Products
Greece (with 276 million trees) ranks third in the world for the number of olive-trees, following Spain and Italy. Olive cultivation covers 1.4 million ha, i.e. 10 % of the total cultivated area of Greece. Out of the total 276 million trees, 200 million are olive-oil producing, while the rest produce table-olives. The annual production of olive-oil is about 397.000 tons out of which 70% are absorbed by the home market.
Main regions producing table-olives: Central, North and North-West Greece.
4 Vine Products
Vineyards cover about 1.377 thousand ha which can be classified as follows: 733 thousand ha for wine, 644 thousand ha for currants, sultanas and table-grapes. The average annual production of wine amounts to 750.000 - 800.000 thousand tons. Greece holds the 13th place in the world production of wine, third in the production of sultanas and first in the production of currants.
5 Tobaccos
Tobacco cultivation makes good use of low-fertility soil and provides employment for about 124 thousand farming families. It is estimated that about 150 working-days are required for the cultivation of one hectare of tobacco. Greek tobacco is picked by hand leaf by leaf, in successive stages. Tobacco growing is under state control and tobacco ranks first in Greece’s export agricultural products ($ 175 million in 1976). The production is estimated to be around 137 thousand tons a year. The main producing areas are Central and West Macedonia, followed by East Macedonia, Thrace, Aetolo-Acarnania and Thessaly.
6 Sugar beet
This crop was first introduced in Greece in 1960, and self-sufficiency in sugar production was achieved in 2000 with 3.000 thousand tons. The volume of sugar-beet production is determined by the Ministry of Agriculture and totally sold to the Greek Sugar Industry which is state-owned and has sugar plants near Larissa, Alexandreia, Serres, Xanthi and Oresteias.
7 Cotton
Cultivated area: 4.234 thousand ha.
Yearly production: 1.250 thousand tons.
Main cotton-growing regions: Thessaly, Macedonia, Thrace.
Around 360 thousand tons are exported yearly.
8 Livestock production
Greek climate and geography are not particularly favourable to livestock production; as a result the country does not cover its needs in meat and dairy products, and has to import.
Bovines: Mainly in plains and fertile regions. About 590.000 thousand head.
Goat/Sheep: Mainly in mountainous regions. Around 15 million head.
Pigs: 1 million head.
Poultry: 29 million head.
The predominant type of animal farming is the small family farm for bovines and ovine, whereas 85% of poultry and 60% of pig is produced in large units.
9 Pistachios
Greece is one of the 10 top countries with world production in pistachios. In 2005 Greece exported around 9.500 tons. For the MY 2009/10 crop, they forecast an output of about 12,000 MT The quality of Greek almonds in 2009 was very good with the best originating from orchards along the coastline.
Aegina Island is most famous in Greece for its pistachio production. You can visit pistachio orchards during your day trip and have a short walk around the trees. At Aegina town, there are dozens of stalls and shops selling local pistachios in bags of every size. You will no doubt be offered free samples by the handful from almost every merchant.
Table 12. EU-27 National Guaranteed Area and Financial Ceiling.
Member state NGA (Ha) Financial Ceiling (Euro)
Greece 41,100 4,962,825
Major EU almond producers are Italy and Greece.
Table 1. Major EU Almond Producers by Volume in MT (Shelled Basis)
COUNTRY MY 2007/08 MY 2008/09 MY 2009/10
Greece 10,000 12,000 12,000
TRADE BALANCE
- Main imported products: Cereals, meat, dairy products, animal feed.
- Main exported products: Tobacco, currants, fresh and canned fruit, citrus fruit, cotton, vegetables, and wine-must.
NATIONAL STATISTICAL SERVICE OF GREECE
THE AGRICULTURAL POPULATION
The population of Greece was estimated to be approximately 10.964.000 in 2001. Estimations as of January 2008 count approximately 11,215,000 inhabitants in the Greek peninsula.
The rural population represents about 20% of the active population, i.e. somewhat 705.000 people (based on estimations as of January 2008). The main agricultural areas are the plains of Thrace, Macedonia, Thessaly, Peloponnese and Crete. The large majority of farmers are either self-employed or relatives working on family holdings.
There are about 705.000 farmers principally engaged in agriculture and cultivate approx. 38.800 thousand of the land- 40% of these are elderly (over 65 years), while another 20% are between 45 and 65 years old. These two categories own about 60% of the rural land. Demand for farm labour is highly seasonal (for example for the olive and grape harvests).
LAND CLASSIFICATION
The total area of Greece is 13.2 million ha. The total agricultural land is 38.820 thousand ha, of which approx. 18.000 thousand ha are arable lands, 30.000 thousand ha pastures and 29.400 thousand ha forests. 45% of the total arable land is situated in mountainous or semi-mountainous regions. The irrigated areas represent about 25% of the cultivated land.
Greek farming consists mainly of small private holdings, amounting to about 1 million. Most farmers own their land.
MAIN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS
1. Cereals
Cereals – wheat in particular – are among the traditional cultivation of Greece. Wheat cultivation is now mechanized to a large extend.
Cereal Production Average figures 2000 Area cultivated (in thousand ha) Production in thousand tons)
Wheat 8.554 2.073
Maize 2.091 1.949
Rice 259 162
Barley 1.392 321
2 Fruit and Vegetables
The rise in the standard of living has led to an intensification of fruit and vegetable production. Example: Total production of vegetables in 1998: 4,745.000 tons Total production of vegetables in 2000: 4,795,000 tons
About 50% of the fruit is cultivated in mountainous and semi-mountainous regions. Vegetables are mainly produced in the Peloponnese, East Macedonia, Thrace, Thessaly, Euboea and Crete. Citrus fruit comes mainly from Crete, the Peloponnese and Epirus. The growing demand includes also off-season products. As a consequence, Greek farmers now cultivate 5 thousand ha with off-season vegetables and strawberries.
3 Olive Products
Greece (with 276 million trees) ranks third in the world for the number of olive-trees, following Spain and Italy. Olive cultivation covers 1.4 million ha, i.e. 10 % of the total cultivated area of Greece. Out of the total 276 million trees, 200 million are olive-oil producing, while the rest produce table-olives. The annual production of olive-oil is about 397.000 tons out of which 70% are absorbed by the home market.
Main regions producing table-olives: Central, North and North-West Greece.
4 Vine Products
Vineyards cover about 1.377 thousand ha which can be classified as follows: 733 thousand ha for wine, 644 thousand ha for currants, sultanas and table-grapes. The average annual production of wine amounts to 750.000 - 800.000 thousand tons. Greece holds the 13th place in the world production of wine, third in the production of sultanas and first in the production of currants.
5 Tobaccos
Tobacco cultivation makes good use of low-fertility soil and provides employment for about 124 thousand farming families. It is estimated that about 150 working-days are required for the cultivation of one hectare of tobacco. Greek tobacco is picked by hand leaf by leaf, in successive stages. Tobacco growing is under state control and tobacco ranks first in Greece’s export agricultural products ($ 175 million in 1976). The production is estimated to be around 137 thousand tons a year. The main producing areas are Central and West Macedonia, followed by East Macedonia, Thrace, Aetolo-Acarnania and Thessaly.
6 Sugar beet
This crop was first introduced in Greece in 1960, and self-sufficiency in sugar production was achieved in 2000 with 3.000 thousand tons. The volume of sugar-beet production is determined by the Ministry of Agriculture and totally sold to the Greek Sugar Industry which is state-owned and has sugar plants near Larissa, Alexandreia, Serres, Xanthi and Oresteias.
7 Cotton
Cultivated area: 4.234 thousand ha.
Yearly production: 1.250 thousand tons.
Main cotton-growing regions: Thessaly, Macedonia, Thrace.
Around 360 thousand tons are exported yearly.
8 Livestock production
Greek climate and geography are not particularly favourable to livestock production; as a result the country does not cover its needs in meat and dairy products, and has to import.
Bovines: Mainly in plains and fertile regions. About 590.000 thousand head.
Goat/Sheep: Mainly in mountainous regions. Around 15 million head.
Pigs: 1 million head.
Poultry: 29 million head.
The predominant type of animal farming is the small family farm for bovines and ovine, whereas 85% of poultry and 60% of pig is produced in large units.
9 Pistachios
Greece is one of the 10 top countries with world production in pistachios. In 2005 Greece exported around 9.500 tons. For the MY 2009/10 crop, they forecast an output of about 12,000 MT The quality of Greek almonds in 2009 was very good with the best originating from orchards along the coastline.
Aegina Island is most famous in Greece for its pistachio production. You can visit pistachio orchards during your day trip and have a short walk around the trees. At Aegina town, there are dozens of stalls and shops selling local pistachios in bags of every size. You will no doubt be offered free samples by the handful from almost every merchant.
Table 12. EU-27 National Guaranteed Area and Financial Ceiling.
Member state NGA (Ha) Financial Ceiling (Euro)
Greece 41,100 4,962,825
Major EU almond producers are Italy and Greece.
Table 1. Major EU Almond Producers by Volume in MT (Shelled Basis)
COUNTRY MY 2007/08 MY 2008/09 MY 2009/10
Greece 10,000 12,000 12,000
TRADE BALANCE
- Main imported products: Cereals, meat, dairy products, animal feed.
- Main exported products: Tobacco, currants, fresh and canned fruit, citrus fruit, cotton, vegetables, and wine-must.