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Victoria Mindova

While the Germans are still searching but can not find where the deadly bacterium Escherichia coli (E. Coli) came from and killed 22 people, trade in fruits and vegetables in Europe seriously suffered. "There is a temporary freeze on trade. Trade deals with countries like Germany, Czech Republic, Romania and Bulgaria have been suspended as a result of which there are already losses amounting to hundreds of thousands of euros," said exclusively for GRReporter the Executive Director of the Hellenic Foreign Trade Organisation Alkiadis Kalambokis. He is also a longtime chairman of the Union of Exporters of Crete and is very well familiar with the attitudes and concerns of producers in the region.

According to the information Kalambokis receives daily from the manufacturers of Crete, the demand for agricultural products has decreased significantly. Although the quality of local production is impeccable and the controlling authorities confirmed that the Greek vegetables do not contain the deadly bacteria, the entire trading volume in the European Union and beyond has been blocked. "Therefore, the companies in Crete stopped to load goods for exports in recent days," explained the specialist, but stressed that the Greek agricultural products are of proven quality.

The panic due to E. Coli and its still unknown origin made people turn their backs to salads and fresh fruits which affected not only the exports but the traders on the domestic market too. The common panic and the lack of adequate information have changed the eating habits of the Greeks for hours indeed, making them paranoid wary of vegetables. "I do not know what to believe. Even if the cucumbers and beans we buy are produced locally, I will not buy raw fruits and vegetables until they find how the victims in Germany have been infected. Everything moves freely in the European Union. This includes bacteria too," said the 28-year-old Anna from Athens, who does not want to hear about fruits and vegetables before the story of the origin of the bacteria is unraveled. 

Alkiadis Kalambokis did not deny that there is a decrease in consumption of agricultural products on the domestic market but did not indicate a specific number. He stressed that to avoid panic and adverse consequences for manufacturers, government agencies should make a message to consumers that local products are of good quality and out of danger.

Most dramatic, however, remains the situation with the embargo, which Russia imposed on all fruits and vegetables from the European Union after the Spanish cucumbers were to blame for the unexpected deaths of E. Coli. It turned out later that there is no solid evidence of the "guilt" of the Spanish cucumbers, but the damage was already a fact. This is a much serious problem for Greece than expected because a large percentage of the fruits grown in the country are provided directly to the Russian market.

"Russia is a market that takes much of the fresh fruits of our country and plays a crucial role for the Greek producers. The embargo was imposed on other sectors and products, not only on agriculture, and a political solution of the situation should be find," said the Executive Director of the Hellenic Foreign Trade Association. According to him, bilateral agreements between the European Union and Russia should be signed immediately to improve the trade relations and prevent problems like this.