Μeat imports to Greece up 5.57% in crisis years; market turnover at 10bln€ annually

By V. Vegiri
[email protected]

The total meat market sector in Greece now totals roughly 10 billion euros annually, with turnover between 2009 and 2016 down by one billion euros per year in terms of value. At the same time, imports of all types of meat increased by 5.57 percent over the same period, in value.

The figures were presented in Thessaloniki on Tuesday by the head of Greece's meat producers' association, Andreas Georgoudis, who spoke at a one-day seminar organized by the German-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the German Export Association for Food and Agriproducts (GEFA).

The entire event was held under the auspices of Germany's federal ministry for food and agriculture.

According to Georgoudis, Greek consumers have reduced spending on "high-end" meats, such as beef and sheep/goat, resulting in lower domestic production and an increase in imports. He also said Greek producers face stiff competition from other European producers, especially from France, the Netherlands and Germany. Italian beef imports are also on the rise to the Greece, along with similar imports from Romania and Poland.

Conversely, he said the Greek meat and luncheon meats market remains dynamic, given the tens of millions of tourists the country attracts on an annual basis. Additionally, he said the average Greek consumer is considered "picky", with a recent study showing that 63.4 percent of respondents said they purchase meat based on quality.

A top representative for the German Meat GmbH, the joint export promotion organization of the country's meat industry, said the specific sector in Germany produced 5.45 million tons of meat annually - first in Europe and third internationally, behind China and the United States.

As such, the representative said German producers want to increase their market share in Greece, as German imports are now third (13.6 percent) behind the Netherlands and France.