Greece’s government plans to overhaul its farmers’ markets to boost direct sales between producers and consumers while fostering greater market competition and reducing costs.
Development Minister Takis Theodorikakos has outlined these plans, intending to increase producer involvement and make fresh produce more accessible.
The proposed improvements include afternoon market operations that better align with farmers’ schedules and offer consumers more flexibility. Policymakers are in advanced discussions to open additional market sites and streamline ways for farmers, particularly from suburban regions outside Athens, to join these markets.
Local authorities will dictate the locations and timings of these markets. Logistical concerns—such as adequate lighting—are being addressed to facilitate evening operations, which will broaden producer selling schedules and consumer access, for example, outside office hours, while enhancing direct consumer interactions.
Sotiris Anagnostopoulos, the Secretary-General for Commerce and Consumer Protection, said that the dialogue around these reforms is nearing completion.
Current market dynamics include a mix of producers and merchants, but this approach aims to ease farmers’ paths to sell directly and create more market venues.
Decisions regarding specific operational aspects, such as the timing and introduction of evening hours, rest with local governments who will tackle logistical challenges, such as maintaining lighting for safe operations and resolving potential disruptions.
The farmers’ markets, which operate primarily in regional urban centres, will allow farmers to sell within their respective districts. Although producers suggest that facilitating their access to existing markets is more critical than creating new ones, improvements in participation in current venues—totalling 1,000 nationwide and 300 within the Athens area—are seen as pivotal. Solving procedural issues, including adequate illumination, is essential for afternoon and evening operations to succeed.
