The exceptional compensation from the ELGA for extensive forage damage is requested by the wine growers of Kavala.
Mr. Gregory Grouzidis, producer and chairman of the Agricultural Association of Pangaiou, points out to Agritype that «This year there is great damage from the fork seed to the vineyards of Kavala. Repeated rainfall, in May and June, maintained high humidity in the vineyards, while at the same time significantly hampered producers' access to the parcels.
When the winegrowers managed to spray they did not have the expected results and so there is great damage to the production of grapes. To a large extent the damage amounts to almost 100% of the production.
We ask the HPAT to provide exceptional compensation from the ELGA. It has happened in the past that the ELGA has been paying exceptional compensation for damage from the fork seed and for damage to the proanthetic stage (which is out of Insurance Regulation).
The ELGA administration wants to compensate the winegrowers through the State Financial Aid (CEE) – former PEA. However, this will result in a great delay in payment (still no MET paid for 2021 and a second payment of «horizontal» compensation (which is unfair because those who have not been harmed will also be compensated). That is why we are asking the ELGA assessors to proceed with the recording of losses».
The letter to HPAT states:
The Agricultural Association of Pangaio, following two extraordinary General Meetings held with the participation of the wine growers of the region, transfers to you the urgent requirement of producers for their immediate and exceptional compensation for the extensive damage suffered by the area's vineyards from the peron seed during the 2026 growing season.
This year's situation in the vineyards of the Municipality of Pangaios has taken on unprecedented dimensions. The peron seed attack was not limited to individual holdings, but hit much of the wine-growing zone, with particularly severe problems in the Municipal Units of Free, Pierre and Orphan.
Producers were faced with extremely adverse and recurrent weather conditions during the critical period of May–June. Increased rainfall and long periods of high relative humidity created conditions particularly favourable to growth and continued resuspension from forage seed.
At the same time, continuous rainfall has objectively limited the ability of producers to carry out the necessary plant protection interventions in time and effectively. In many cases there was insufficient time «windows» for the entry of agricultural machinery into the vineyards, while the repeated erosion of vegetation limited the duration of application effectiveness. As a result, damage is particularly serious and concerns both plant development and, above all, grape production.
For table varieties, in fact, the attack has caused not only significant quantitative loss but also serious degradation of the commercial value and commerciality of the product.
Minister, the area's vine growers consider that this case cannot be treated as a common phytopathological attack. This is an exceptional large-scale situation, resulting from the combination of particularly adverse weather conditions, increased pressure on the pathogen and objective inability to effectively plant protection management.
That is why we ask the State to consider this case as an exceptional case, objectively assess the actual extent of the damage and ensure the necessary financial support for producers.
For these reasons we ask:
1. The direct intervention of the Ministry of Rural Development and Food and the ELGA to record and evaluate the damage to the vineyards of P.E. Kavala.
2. The initiation of a damage notice so that the producers affected declare their parcels.
3. The dispatch of responsible stages for on-the-spot autopsies to the affected wine-growing areas of the Municipality of Pangaio, with objective representation of the percentage and extent of damage.
4. The exceptional compensation for the affected vine growers through the usual ELGA procedure, given the extent and specificity of this year’s disaster.
5. The recognition of the exceptional nature of this year's damage, taking into account weather data, the evolution of the insult and the actual loss of production.
6. The use of the scientific and technical documentation collected by the Agricultural Association of Pangaio, as well as any additional information requested by the competent bodies.
7. As soon as possible compensation for the affected producers within the current growing season so that they can continue their profession.
Minister, viticulture is a key pillar of the economic and social life of Pangaion and more generally of the P.E. Rider. The consequences of this year's disaster are not limited to producers, but extend to wine-growing enterprises, packaging plants, marketing, employment and the local economy as a whole.
Producers, who have for years invested in the cultivation, production and local economy, cannot be left alone to bear the burden of such an extent and intensity.
The decision of the two extraordinary General Meetings of the Agricultural Association of Pangaios clearly reflects the anguish and demand of the vine growers for immediate and substantial state intervention. We therefore call for the immediate response of the Ministry, your personal intervention and the start of the procedure needed so that the affected vine growers can be compensated for the losses suffered. We are at the disposal of the Ministry, the ELGA and any competent body to provide all necessary data and complete documentation of the damage.
