How ToBRFV varieties changed the tomato market in Greece

Added on 23 October 2024

Tags

How ToBRFV varieties changed the tomato market in Greece

Image by wirestock on Freepik

Greece is recognized for its substantial consumption and production of tomatoes, both fresh and processed. This brief explores the transformative impact of Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus (ToBRFV) resistant varieties on the tomato market, focusing on the pre-existing conditions, the emergence of dominant varieties, their characteristics, benefits, and the broader implications for tomato cultivation.

Let’s see what Petros Karkatselis, General Manager can tell us how the ToBRFV varieties changed the tomato market in Greece.

Market overview prior to ToBRFV resistant varieties

″Before the introduction of the ToBRFV resistant beef tomato varieties, the virus significantly affected the tomato cultivation in Greece. It caused a reduction of approximately 15% in tomato greenhouses cultivation area. This decline was attributed to the virus’s detrimental effects on both yield and fruit quality, prompting growers to shift to alternative crops, such as cucumbers and tomato mini plums, that we saw an increase in the last two years in cultivation area by over 15%.″