Sitia: greenhouses, olive groves, fishing boats fading

In the Gouduras area, near Sitia, greenhouse cultivation has shrunk from approximately 400 to approximately 300 stremmata, with producers now maintaining mainly cucumber, tomato, pepper, and eggplant crops. This summer, although the Gouduras plain has adequate irrigation water, only about 2% of the greenhouses were planted, while the few that were cultivated had relatively good yields. At the same time, olive mills in the area are closing, as an increasing number of olive owners are gradually abandoning olive production. Even more abrupt is the shrinking of the fishing fleet: from the ten fishing boats that operated in the area previously, only three remain today, according to data presented by Giorgos Tsifetakis, former president of the Sitia agricultural union.

Those in the sector attribute the shrinking to a combination of factors: increased production costs, difficulties in finding labour, and the gradual ageing of the rural population. In greenhouses, olive groves, and boats that remain active, mostly older-aged producers and fishermen work, while younger residents of the area now prefer more stable wages, mainly in tourism, rather than continuing the family agricultural or fishing activity. The phenomenon is not new, but this year it is recorded as more intense, with the retreat of cultivation in Gouduras clearly reflecting the trend.

This development is gradually changing the economic profile of the wider Sitia and Lasithi region, where primary production traditionally formed a basic pillar of local income, alongside tourism. Fewer active greenhouses and olive mills mean fewer jobs in a sector that supported family small-holdings for decades, while the shrinking of the fishing fleet affects the availability of fresh local products in the local market and in the area’s tavernas. The situation is summed up, as described by people in the area, in the phrase “the countryside is emptying,” an image that concerns not only production but the population of the villages themselves around Gouduras.

Giorgos Tsifetakis calls for support measures that will make staying in the countryside more attractive to younger people, so as not to lose the agricultural and fishing tradition of the area. Residents are awaiting initiatives from both the municipal authority and the Crete Regional Authority, with the aim of facilitating access to water, reducing production costs, and supporting employment in the primary sector. The issue of rural shrinkage in Sitia is expected to occupy future discussions on agricultural policy in Lasithi, as the fate of Gouduras is considered indicative for the entire region.