Wildfires claim 60% of Evros’ olive trees

The environmental disaster created by the wildfires in Evros in northeastern Greece has by default also dealt a dizzying blow to the region’s agricultural economy.

It is estimated that 130,000 olive trees, which amounts to 60% of the total 200,000, hundreds of beehives and thousands of productive animals, mainly sheep and goats but also cows, have been burnt.

At the same time, businesses in the prefecture that depend on agricultural production, such as olive mills and dairy product processing plants, may struggle to survive due to a lack of raw materials.

The time it will take to restore the natural ecosystem will also make it difficult for creatures that have survived the calamity to survive.

The Regional Authority of Evros has already calculated that it requires food to feed 44,000 animals as well as bees from 21,000 hives, as much of the farmland was burned.

The entire bee flora in central and southern Evros is no longer there and the bees need pollen substitutes that in normal conditions would be plentiful.

“If the bees do not graze now to prepare for the winter, we will have no bees in the spring,” said Paschalis Christodoulou, president of the Beekeepers’ Association of Central Evros.

Evros’ Deputy Regional Governor Dimitris Evrou stressed the need for a “comprehensive strategic plan to support Evros and help it recover.”

The Evros region has about 350 farms, of which 90 are estimated to have been damaged by the fire.

It produces 4% of the national milk production and 20% of the national mushroom production. Teams of agronomists have started documenting the damage since Monday, when the fire was put out. This process is expected to take many days.

“We are making progress but it takes time. There are many animals that were burned, many have been reduced to ashes and others are missing. It is still snowing ash inside Alexandroupoli,” said the Greek Agricultural Insurance Organization (ELGA) manager in the region, Dimitris Pantazis.