Fifty-five Greek farmers from Agrinio decided to change their tobacco crops and grow instead stevia, a natural sweetener. They signed a contract with an American giant and gave up on the good old-fashioned tobacco farming of Agrinio. Experts agree that stevia crops are profitable because they yield three times per year at €4,000 per acre (5,000m²). “The future in Greek farming is in new crops and parental products such as mastic or olives”, says an expert in agro-certification.

Statistics on Greek farmers show there is still some room for improvement. Only 15% of the farmers are certified and above 55. “The secret lies in combining old recipes with scientific know-how, like in the case of sought-after herbal plants. Another solution is to find advanced varieties that can cover the market’s needs, ideally all year long. And finally, for those who do not wish to abandon the city, there is always the idea of urban farming!

Enterprise Greece: enterprisegreece.gov.gr