Interview of the president of GEOTEE Menelaos Gardikiotis on SKAI radio
“It is not that simple to abandon or not the cotton from the Thessalian plain or from somewhere else” said on SKAI radio on Saturday afternoon Menelaos Gardikiotis.
Speaking on his show Petrou Kirkilis, the President of GEOTEE referred to the recent report of Dutch experts on Thessaly and explained that “the story about cotton is multidimensional. Through the study carried out by the Dutch, they only approximate whether the crop is irrigated or not.”
Then Mr. Gardikiotis mentioned that “from studies of the Agricultural University three years ago it is proven that cotton is not the most water-bearing crop – it is third or fourth”. He added, in fact, that only “40% of the crops declared in the Thessalian plain are irrigated. So the Dutch tell us to cut from that 40%. We are not told, however, how much of this 40% must be left uncultivated. These things don’t happen.”
About the proposal for hydroponic facilities in Thessaly, the President of GEOTEE explained that “the main area that has cotton is Karditsa, where the floods happened. Think where there were greenhouses when it flooded.” As he further explained, “hydroponic facilities are very expensive. They recommend hydroponics to us in areas of possible flooding, with three phenomena in the last four years.”
Regarding the comparison of the monetary yield per acre in relation to other countries, Mr. Gardikiotis stated that “We have heard many times about the monetary yield per acre. It’s not just cotton or grain that’s dropping our yield here – vines aren’t high yielders either, and olive growing has been low-yielding until recently.”
Finally, the President of GEOTEE defended the diversity of crops in Greece, stating that “the country has a diversity of crops with specific yields. Let’s not fall into the trap of comparison. Our advantage is diversity, we have one of the biggest diversity in Europe, we have to take advantage of it because it is not a disadvantage”.
As he explained, “if we try to catch up with the Dutch, we will have to give up crops that are emblematic of our country – winemaking, olive growing, cotton, grain, animal feed.”
Source: Skai
I have worked as a journalist for over 10 years, and my work has been featured on many different news websites. I am also an author, and my work has been published in several books. I specialize in opinion writing, and I often write about current events and controversial topics. I am a very well-rounded writer, and I have a lot of experience in different areas of journalism. I am a very hard worker, and I am always willing to put in the extra effort to get the job done.
