Cyprus-Forum.com

[supporttheunderdog]

Bearing in mind that out of a population of about 11 million something like 6 million live in urban areas (and close to 4 in the Athens area) I am not at all sure there is such a thing as the average olive growing Greek any more.

Anyway this thread is not about Greece but the massive problems facing the US which pose risks to us all.

[boomerang]

It's not just about the money! Americans (and their seconds in command, the Brits) will eventually wake up to the harsh reality of what their lifestyles are doing to them via the ecological disasters they are helping create and fuel. The 20 Billion plus dollars it's going to cost to clean-up after hurricane Sandy might hit them where it hurts - not yet recovered from Katrina. And, these super-storms are going to get worse and more frequent. Yet Americans have been trying to impose their overconsumptive lifestyles, which use 100 times more carbon-energy than most Europeans and probably 500 times more than the average olive-growing Greek, onto everyone else.

As yiayia always say; the right thing will happen in the end.

the $20 billion you mentioned i am afraid we are going to pay for it...watch your premiums go up...

and there is no proof there is human hands in these disasters...how could there ever be?...well i am sure you'll start spinning something....

[kimon07]

Bearing in mind that out of a population of about 11 million something like 6 million live in urban areas (and close to 4 in the Athens area) I am not at all sure there is such a thing as the average olive growing Greek any more.

But there is. Many of them do indeed, live in the cities but their olive treas are tended by the Albanians and illegal immigrants. The owners then go back to their villages when its time to collect the crop and carry it to the oil extracting plants, private or cooperative. (The season actually starts soon and will be over by March). Very good busines. The whole of the Peloponese, the whole of Crete and many other areas in Greece make a very good income out of olive oil both in the domestic market as well as abroad.

[kimon07]

Bearing in mind that out of a population of about 11 million something like 6 million live in urban areas (and close to 4 in the Athens area) I am not at all sure there is such a thing as the average olive growing Greek any more.

The Olive Industry In Greece

One of Greece’s best known exports is the olive fruit. Greece is famous for the olive oil it produces.

Olive Farming
• 60% of Greece’s land is used to farm olives.
• Greece harvests over 14 million trees, some of which are 800 years old.
Olive Oil Production
• Greece produces 400,000 tons of olive oil every year. [3]
• Greece is ranked 3rd behind Spain and Italy in olive oil production.
• 100,000 tons is exported every year.
http://internationalbusiness.wikia.com/ ... _In_Greece

[cyprusgrump]

Bearing in mind that out of a population of about 11 million something like 6 million live in urban areas (and close to 4 in the Athens area) I am not at all sure there is such a thing as the average olive growing Greek any more.

The Olive Industry In Greece

One of Greece’s best known exports is the olive fruit. Greece is famous for the olive oil it produces.

Olive Farming
• 60% of Greece’s land is used to farm olives.
• Greece harvests over 14 million trees, some of which are 800 years old.
Olive Oil Production
• Greece produces 400,000 tons of olive oil every year. [3]
• Greece is ranked 3rd behind Spain and Italy in olive oil production.
• 100,000 tons is exported every year.
http://internationalbusiness.wikia.com/ ... _In_Greece

Greece excels in terms of quality, since approximately 75 percent of the Greek olive oil is extra virgin, in contrast with 45 percent in Italy and 30 percent in Spain (mainly due to the special morphology of the country).

However, producers in Greece have not been able to fully grasp the opportunity and thrive. Instead there is a decline in the olive oil production which represented 16 percent of global production in 1990 to 12 percent in 2009. The causes for this, the report explained, can be found in structural weaknesses in all of the production stages; processing, standardization and promotion.

The fragmentation of the olive oil industry disfavors any attempts to increase production and equally undermines attempts for a dynamic global promotion. Moreover, the diminishing European Union subsidies will have an additional negative effect. And last but not least, despite the financial incentives for the oil mills to adopt the two-phase processing technology, the majority of the mills still utilize the three-phase production system which implies higher costs (0,19€/kilo compared to 0,16€/kilo for the two-phase system).

Clicky...

[kimon07]

However, producers in Greece have not been able to fully grasp the opportunity and thrive. Instead there is a decline in the olive oil production which represented 16 percent of global production in 1990 to 12 percent in 2009. The causes for this, the report explained, can be found in structural weaknesses in all of the production stages; processing, standardization and promotion.

The fragmentation of the olive oil industry disfavors any attempts to increase production and equally undermines attempts for a dynamic global promotion. Moreover, the diminishing European Union subsidies will have an additional negative effect. And last but not least, despite the financial incentives for the oil mills to adopt the two-phase processing technology, the majority of the mills still utilize the three-phase production system which implies higher costs (0,19€/kilo compared to 0,16€/kilo for the two-phase system).

Clicky...[/quote]

I am surprised to see that they have disregarded the loss of a tremendous number of productive trees during the devastating fires of the past decade.

[cyprusgrump]

However, producers in Greece have not been able to fully grasp the opportunity and thrive. Instead there is a decline in the olive oil production which represented 16 percent of global production in 1990 to 12 percent in 2009. The causes for this, the report explained, can be found in structural weaknesses in all of the production stages; processing, standardization and promotion.

The fragmentation of the olive oil industry disfavors any attempts to increase production and equally undermines attempts for a dynamic global promotion. Moreover, the diminishing European Union subsidies will have an additional negative effect. And last but not least, despite the financial incentives for the oil mills to adopt the two-phase processing technology, the majority of the mills still utilize the three-phase production system which implies higher costs (0,19€/kilo compared to 0,16€/kilo for the two-phase system).

Clicky...

I am surprised to see that they have disregarded the loss of a tremendous number of productive trees during the devastating fires of the past decade.

I'm surprised you didn't mention it in your 'Greek Olive Oil Production is Booming' post...

[GreekIslandGirl]

I don't know any Greeks who are not supplementing their incomes, directly or indirectly with a number of extras like olive oil production, eggs, beans, shops, restaurants and crops galore. Even an Athenian consultant surgeon acquaintance of mine has his parents producing all his food needs on the home farm he will eventually inherit and retire to in order to produce essentials for his 4 kids which all go to private schools and are heading for high-flying university studies and posts.

All other countries would have crumbled by now given the same mess Greece has been dealt. Greece is the vanguard of strength, resilience and the continued civilised world order.

Greece is a strange mix of the intellectual and the peasant (Cyprus mirrors this). And I LOVE it so!

[cyprusgrump]

I don't know any Greeks who are not supplementing their incomes, directly or indirectly with a number of extras like olive oil production, eggs, beans, shops, restaurants and crops galore. Even an Athenian consultant surgeon acquaintance of mine has his parents producing all his food needs on the home farm he will eventually inherit and retire to in order to produce essentials for his 4 kids which all go to private schools and are heading for high-flying university studies and posts.

All other countries would have crumbled by now given the same mess Greece has been dealt. Greece is the vanguard of strength, resilience and the continued civilised world order.

Greece is a strange mix of the intellectual and the peasant (Cyprus mirrors this). And I LOVE it so!

I suppose with more than 25% of the workforce (58% of the 15 to 24 age group) unemployed they have little choice but to do so....

[kimon07]

I don't know any Greeks who are not supplementing their incomes, directly or indirectly with a number of extras like olive oil production, eggs, beans, shops, restaurants and crops galore. Even an Athenian consultant surgeon acquaintance of mine has his parents producing all his food needs on the home farm he will eventually inherit and retire to in order to produce essentials for his 4 kids which all go to private schools and are heading for high-flying university studies and posts.

All other countries would have crumbled by now given the same mess Greece has been dealt. Greece is the vanguard of strength, resilience and the continued civilised world order.

Greece is a strange mix of the intellectual and the peasant (Cyprus mirrors this). And I LOVE it so!

I suppose with more than 25% of the workforce (58% of the 15 to 24 age group) unemployed they have little choice but to do so....

Believe it or not, this crisis may prove to be a blessing from the point of view that the young, due to the unemployment, are forced to return to their villages
and start working on their fields again. Modern methods of agriculture and farming are being developed and applied and the Greek countryside, which had been largely abandoned for decades, is gradually reviving again. Just hope this trend will continue and increase.