JEDDAH – Fruit producing companies from Greece are on a tour of the Gulf countries to seal deals with suppliers and supermarkets. Their visit is part of their attempt to fill the void left by the Russian ban on agriculture foods from European countries. The trade delegation, consisting of businessmen and women of 26 fruit producing firms, joined the Foodex Saudi 2014, the second food and beverage exhibition that took place in Jeddah from Monday to Thursday. The visit to Jeddah is part of a larger tour to promote Greek fresh produce throughout the Gulf and has been co-financed by the EU. The Greek agricultural economy suffered a major blow when Russia, in a tit-for-tat move, decided to ban the import of agricultural goods and raw products from countries that have imposed sanctions on it, notably the EU and United States. The two economic superpowers' decision came in the wake of the continued backing by Russia of the separatists in Eastern Ukraine. While experts believe Russian consumers will be hit hard by the sanctions, the country's retaliation ban also has a major impact on farmers in the EU and US. According to the president of Greece's largest regional association of growers and cooperatives, Russia absorbs more than 60 percent of his country's peach exports and nearly 90 percent of its strawberries. Christos Yannakakis told this to the UK newspaper The Guardian earlier this year. According to Greek Consul General in Jeddah Chronis Polychroniou, the 26 fruit producers, who come from the northern regions of Greece, a fertile area that is home to 90 percent of the country's fruit production, have been highly successful in their mission here. “They have [had] meetings with all the big companies – with Sharbatly, Danube, Panda – during these days and they said they are already getting some orders,” he explained on the sidelines of the business dinner that concluded the four-day visit. The dinner was attended by Greek and Saudi business people as well as numerous media outlets. The fourth largest producer of fruits in the EU, Greece exports its fruits – peaches, cherries, apricots, apples, kiwis, strawberries and more – all over the world, including to the US, Japan, and China. While Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries had been among its export markets in the past, Polychroniou said in recent years there hadn't been any deals, a missed chance for the Kingdom, as “the quality of the fruits are the best in the world.” Asked whether this would change following the trade delegation's visit, the consul general smiled and nodded, adding that we would soon find Greek fruits in the Kingdom's major supermarkets. “The way of production is according to the best norms of the European Union. If you see and taste the fruits you will understand immediately the difference [in] quality,” he said, assuring that the producers will deliver the “best quality for the best prices.” Acknowledging the many difficulties Greek companies encounter when trying to access “foreign, dynamic and competitive markets like the Saudi market,” Theodore Xypolias, commercial councilor at the Greek Consulate, said Greek exports to the Kingdom have nevertheless followed “a steady upward trend in recent years, and there are still further growth prospects, specifically for the Greek fresh products.” Addressing Saudi businessmen, Xypolias assured that the Greek Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate General in Jeddah would offer “every possible support and information to achieve your goals and to strengthen the bilateral trade and business relations between [the two countries].”
