Storm May Affect 15-20% Of Greek Cotton Crop

A storm which hit Greece in the first week of September may have affected 70 percent of the cotton crop in Thessaly.

Thessaly is the main Greek cotton growing hub and in turn, this impact may reduce the country’s total production by 15-20 percent.

This was informed by a senior researcher Dr Mohammed Darawsheh working at the National Center of Classification and Standardization of Cotton, while speaking with AMNA news agency.

The Thessaly region accounts for 32 percent or 80,000 hectares of around 250,000 hectares of cultivated cotton crop area in Greece.

“A large percent of the cotton bolls have not yet opened and depending on the duration and height of water in the fields, a large percent of the bolls will not open or may not open naturally,” Darawsheh said.

He added that along with the damage from bad weather, this storm will be an additional negative factor which will impact the cotton crop adversely.

Dr Darawsheh also informed that around 20 ginning mills in Thessaly have suffered damage to their plant and warehouse, which may also have affected the cotton stored in the warehouse from previous season.