Greek Food Exports on the Rise

Greece exports quite a number of products. The main goal of Greek exporters is to deliver high quality products and services that can compete for significant share in global markets. Thus the country’s exports have registered a significant increase in recent years .Greek exports are primarily based on alimentary products, which represent 17% of the total export value.

Oil, vegetable fat, preserved fruit and other packed food exports have recorded the most noteworthy increase. Fruit and nuts, fish, conserved vegetables, dairy products and alcoholic beverages are some of the staple products which figure at the top of the list.

The main trading partners of the country are Germany, the USA and Canada. They import the most of Greek products, especially olive oil, wine and dairy products (like yogurt and feta cheese), which may be partially attributed to the existence of extended Greek Diaspora communities there.

Tomato exports to European countries have recorded a 148% increase in 2010, indicating that most European countries show a preference for the Greek product over its competitors. Greek olive oil also enjoys broad irreconcilability among European consumers and hold strong potential for expanding their market share. Another example of a broadly exported Greek product is the asparagus, given that 90% of its production is destined to export markets, primarily Germany. It is interesting that the name “asparagus” comes from the Greek language meaning “sprout” or “shoot”.

Greece has recently found some new important trade partners in Russia and China. The amounts of wine and especially olive oil imported from Greece to these countries has shown recently a dramatic increase , placing them in fifth and eight position respectively in the list of olive oil export destinations.

Lately, several Greek farmers have turned to more experimental cultivations as well. For instance, it has been discovered that truffle, one of the rarest and most expensive mushroom varieties, can thrive on Greek soil, such as Mount Parnitha in Attica. The government has bought 220 young plants grown in Italian greenhouses to promote them to regions of the prefecture where the specific cultivation can thrive.Without requiring much land or care, it can render considerable profit.