46 I EUROPEAN SEED I EUROPEAN-SEED.COM The total crops and land lying fallow in Greece cover an area of 3.3 million hectares. 52.9 per cent (1,737 thousand ha) of this land is covered with crops on arable land, while 33.9 per cent (1,111 thousand ha) represents tree and vine crops and 2.0 per cent (67.3 thousand ha) is used for vegetables. Olive cultivation has a major role in Greek agriculture, since it covers 821 thousand ha. Crops grown on arable land: •  722 thousand ha of cereals (durum wheat, soft wheat, barley etc) • 147 thousand ha of corn • 269 thousand ha of cotton • 94 thousand ha of sunflower •  371 thousand ha of fodder plants (mainly alfalfa) The cereals are cultivated all over the country, but mostly in the central and northern part of it. In the same part of the country one can also find the majority of cotton, corn and sunflower crops, while vegetable crops are located mostly in south- ern Greece and the island of Crete. The structure of Greek farms is generally small, since the average farm runs to about 5 ha. The contribution of the agricultural sector to the Gross Domestic Product is officially 3.5 per cent (unofficially, we believe it is actually much more, as there is a great percentage of self-con- sumption, etc.) and employment at 9.5 per cent. A large number of companies operate in local seed production and trade of certified seeds. The majority of them are Greek, but there are also local branches of international companies. According to the Greek legal framework, a company can either produce or trade seeds as a wholesaler or retailer. The sectors in which these companies are active are the following: •  At least 2,000 small companies in retail sale, which also sell plant protection products and fertilizers to the farmers •  100 companies in certified planting seed production •  100 companies in wholesale trade of certi- fied seeds The seed multiplication area is about 24,106 ha, its production varies from 45,000 to 50,000 tons annually and includes mostly cereals, cotton and fodder plants. Apart from the current difficult economic sit- uation in Greece and the reduction of funding from the banks, the seed sector companies also have to cope with the fact that due to a recent change to EU and Greek legislation, producers can now buy seeds from other neighbouring EU countries where the quality of the seeds is questionable and hence the cost can be significantly lower. In addition, all companies that are based in an EU country can operate in Greece for the distribution of planting seeds to farmers, without some obligations (e.g. minimum number of agronomic staff, etc) that the Greek companies have to follow. As a result, unfair competition is created for Greek companies which are also subject to very heavy taxes. HISTORY The Greek Seed Trade Association (EEPES) has been an independent professional association that was established in 1983. The seat of EEPES has always been Athens. The association represents the interests of seed manufacturers and suppliers, and brings together leading international and Greek companies that work in the field of plant breeding, development, seed production and trade in Greece. The activities of member companies cover very many different crops, such as cereals, cotton, corn, sunflower, oilseed rape, alfalfa, common vetch, seed potatoes, vegetables, forage peas, forage grasses, etc. In order to broaden its field of crop representa- tion and attract more members (such as compa- nies active in the tree and vine sector), EEPES was renamed in 2017 into SEPY, which in Greek stands for “Greek Propagating Material Companies Association”. ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE The association’s governing bodies are the General Assembly of the association and the Board of Directors. The General Assembly is the highest governing body of the association, and meets at least once per year. The Board of Directors is a governing body of the association that convenes at least four times per year between General Assembly meetings. The General Assembly determines the composi- tion of the board through an electoral procedure that takes place every three years. To date, there are seven members of the board. The president of the board organizes and guides the activities of the association. Since March 2016, Efthymios (Thymis) Efthymiadis (CEO of Bios Agrosystems S.A.) has been president of the board. The executive body of the association has the everyday executive author- ity, headed by the general director of the associa- tion. To date, the general director of the association is Evangelos Zangilis, an agronomist with many years of experience in planting seeds, gained both in the public sector, as well as in the private sector. SEPY is an association with a democratic structure. Although companies with different structures and interests are members, democratic decisions are respected by all members, after suffi- WHY IT MATTERS More than half of Greece’s arable land is used for field crops, the rest for trees, vines and vegetables. Apart from the current difficult economic situation in Greece and the reduction of funding from the banks, the seed sector companies also have to cope with a recent legislative change, allowing producers to buy cheap seeds from other neighbouring EU countries where the quality of the seeds is questionable. All EU companies can operate in Greece for the distribution of planting seeds to farmers, without some obligations that the Greek companies have to follow. As a result, unfair competition is created for Greek companies which are also subject to very heavy taxes. The Greek Propagating Material Companies Association (SEPY) brings together national and foreign companies and represents at least 80 per cent of the Greek seed market value. It promotes the interests of association members by taking part in committees set up by the Greek government. COPING CRISIS WITH A AN INSIDE LOOK INTO THE GREEK SEED SECTOR. BY: SEPY