In June 1997, the 24th issue of Industrial Review was out, dedicated to Greek Agriculture with an extensive survey of the “Greek Agroindustries”.
As the editorial notes, in 1997 “the Greek economy depends more on agriculture than any other country of the European Union. Yet the sector is fragmented and inefficient with landholdings a quarter of the community average and output less than half…. Agriculture contributed 7.5% towards gross domestic product, compared to a European average of 1.8% and engaged 20.8% of the work force compared to an EU average of 5.5%”
Membership of the EU and participation in the Common Agricultural Policy had done much to improve the living standards of Greek rural communities.
“But” the editorial continues “it has also helped preserve inefficient farming practices and led to significant underemployment in the farm sector. Efforts by Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) governments during the 1980s to promote co-operative agribusinesses to eliminate middlemen drove many private firms to the brink of bankruptcy and added significantly to aggregate national debt. In the end the concept boomeranged and commodity producers are today more dependent on traders than they were before” it concludes.
The issue hosted analytical articles on the industries of
- olive oil
- wine
- tobacco
- cotton
- grain
- millers
- compounders
- starch
- sugar
- dairy
- fruits
- tomatoes
- poultry and
- fish farming
To download the issue, click here for the first part, here for the second, here for the third, here for the fourth.
