The Agroindustrial Cooperative of Tympaki was established in 1945. Located on the coast south of Heraklion, Tympaki has a long tradition of cultivation of greenhouse vegetables and olive oil. The cooperative has been operating since 2010 as a recognised Producer Group, currently with 134 members who are experienced and certified growers. Tomatoes grown in 40 hectares of greenhouses are distributed through its facilities. The cooperative has a total of 540 members. The Agroindustrial Cooperative has vertically integrated its production and offers its members comprehensive services. It operates an olive mill, an agricultural supplies store, an auction centre, a transport agency, a branch in Athens, and a Farmers\u2019 Service Centre in Tympaki.<\/p>\n
\u201cUsually, producers are reluctant to diverge from their routine. However, a small but significant number participate in innovative actions like this.\u201d\u00a0Manolis Berkakis, Director of the Agroindustrial Cooperative of Tympaki<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\nHow did you decide to participate in the programme?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nWe \u2013 the producers \u2013 make an effort to put into practice the knowledge produced in universities. In this context, we also joined this programme to try out biostimulants and see how they impact the production of greenhouse tomatoes.\u00a0We started applying specific formulations, based on the instructions of the agronomists from last season. The Agricultural University guided the producers and took the measurements so that we could get measurable results.<\/p>\n
What were the results of applying the biostimulants to the specific crop?<\/strong><\/p>\nPositive. In most of the greenhouses where the biostimulants were used, we had better production. In some, we did not have spectacular results, but this may have happened for other reasons, such as, for example, not applying the biostimulants correctly.<\/p>\n
What did the biostimulants you used help with?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nThe plants are now healthier, stronger and, in the end, produce better in terms of both quantity and quality of the fruit.<\/p>\n
Were the producers open to using the biostimulants?<\/strong><\/p>\nThere is always a percentage who want to implement new things. Producers are usually reluctant to diverge from their routine. However, a small but significant number participate in innovative actions like this.<\/p>\n
Is the tomato you produce aimed at the domestic or foreign market?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nWe grow vegetables in greenhouses, during winter. Some traders we work with take our products and export them, but mostly in the case of peppers and cucumbers. The tomato varieties we plant are mainly consumed in the Greek market.<\/p>\n
They have more flesh and sugar, but they aren\u2019t that tolerant of transport; they don\u2019t have a long shelf life. Greeks prefer large tomatoes, while in other countries they prefer medium-sized tomatoes, like the ones they have in Spain.<\/p>\n
Regarding the cooperative\u2019s finances, would you say there is room for growth?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"data:image\/jpg;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACYAAAAxAQMAAAH7J3lYAAAAA1BMVEX\/\/\/+nxBvIAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAAA1JREFUGJVjYBgFAwIAAXkAAfcda78AAAAASUVORK5CYII=\")
We have old loans that we are paying off on schedule. Our turnover is increasing, so I think we\u2019re doing well. Now we are trying to get into the standardisation of olive oil. With the rise in olive oil prices that took place, we stopped pursuing it, because on the one hand prices were good, but on the other hand the market was not stable. But now we\u2019re back on track. Our main goal is to export standardised olive oil so we can get better prices. On the Greek market, the prospects for bottled olive oil are limited.<\/p>\n
\u201cUsually, producers are reluctant to diverge from their routine. However, a small but significant number participate in innovative actions like this.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"data:image\/jpg;base64,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\")
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The cooperative is participating as a partner in the \u201cBIO-ADAPTATION\u201d Operational Group of Measure 16<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":50,"featured_media":1175,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[127],"class_list":["post-1174","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-bio-prosarmogi","post_settings-exclude-from-homepage-feed"],"yoast_head":"\n
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The director of the Agroindustrial Cooperative of Tympaki, Manolis Berkakis, spoke to \u201cYX\u201d about the use of biostimulants in the production of greenhouse tomatoes by the cooperative\u2019s producers, in the framework of the pilot project of the \u2018BIO-ADAPTATION\u201d Operational Group, which is funded by Measure 16.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.ypaithros.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/eip-agri-logo.png\"){kind=logo}
We have old loans that we are paying off on schedule. Our turnover is increasing, so I think we\u2019re doing well. Now we are trying to get into the standardisation of olive oil. With the rise in olive oil prices that took place, we stopped pursuing it, because on the one hand prices were good, but on the other hand the market was not stable. But now we\u2019re back on track. Our main goal is to export standardised olive oil so we can get better prices. On the Greek market, the prospects for bottled olive oil are limited.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.ypaithros.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/10\/fasa-eng.png\")
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