This year has turned bitter for Crete’s olive growers. Across the island, groves once heavy with fruit now stand almost bare, and in Viannos — a region where olive trees are life itself — the loss reaches a staggering 80%.
The combination of drought, delayed pest control, and the relentless fruit fly has left farmers watching the season collapse before it even begins. The harvest is set to start in a few weeks, but the sight of the groves offers no hope — only dry leaves and hollow branches.
Numbers That Hurt
Island-wide estimates point to a 40% decline in olive oil production, but Viannos is facing something closer to extinction. According to local producer and mill owner Marinos Psyrologakis, “The coastline has nothing at all. It could be down by 95%. In the village, maybe 80%.”
The region, almost entirely dependent on olive cultivation, may not exceed 300 tons of olive oil this year — a fraction of its normal output. Farmers are calling the situation “dramatic,” and for good reason. Many will not even bother entering the groves; there is simply nothing to collect.
The Blame: Drought and Delay
As Menelaos Bokeas, Mayor of Malevizi and Vice President of SEDIK, explained, “There are many factors behind this year’s losses, but according to specialists, the main cause that worsened everything is drought.”
The long dry months have weakened the trees, leaving them vulnerable to the fruit fly — which multiplied unchecked when the official spraying program stalled in bureaucratic limbo. The dakoktonia was literally stuck at the Court of Audit while farmers watched their crops rot.
A Harvest Without Joy
In Viannos, the few who still tend their groves are fighting a losing battle. With no fruit to press, the island’s famed golden oil is turning into a rare commodity. Prices have climbed to five euros per liter, but that offers little comfort to producers who have nothing to sell.
This crisis will not only hit household budgets but also the wider rural economy. For many families, the olive harvest is not just an income — it is tradition, inheritance, and identity.
And this year, Crete’s olive heart is drying out.
