The problems of Ampelonas are the problems of Greece writ small. “If this continues, we will all be ruined.” So much water is lost on the way, that whereas our annual water bill should come to 500-550 euros ($580-$638) a hectare, it costs 800-1,000 euros ($928-$1160),” said Sakorrafas.
Most of the villages’ debt represents the cost of electricity used to pump water from a centralised well in Mati Tyrnavou to local fields through an inefficient network of leaky pipes and ditches. A deal they negotiated with the regional government to foot the bill for that crucial July irrigation fell through. Some harvested greatly reduced yields.”Įlectricity was cut off at such a critical time because Ampelonas and two nearby villages accumulated debts to the local water management authority of 3 million euros ($3.5m). “From an acre of pear trees, I didn’t collect a single fruit,” said Yiorgos Sakorrafas, president of the local farmers’ union. Last July, as a series of heatwaves struck the country, their electricity was cut off so they couldn’t irrigate their fields. Thessaly, Greece – The farmers of Ampelonas in central Greece are headed for financial ruin.