Potato movement

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The potato movement ( Greek κίνημα της πατάτας Kinima tis patatas ) is a self-help initiative , the 2012 Greece to consumers with the elimination of was created by producers and consumers of agricultural products middlemen to supply directly to agricultural products and thus to bring inflation under control.

Emergence

The initiative arose out of the economic hardship that Greece got into as a result of the financial crisis . The end-user price for potatoes was increased by the profit margins of the intermediate trade to up to 0.80 euros per kg. As a result of the recession, many consumers were no longer willing or able to pay this price, so sales fell sharply. Potato producers, who only received 0.11 to 0.12 euros per kg, therefore distributed potatoes to the population free of charge in Thessaloniki . This gave rise to the idea of using direct sales to achieve prices that cover costs for producers and are affordable for consumers.

Sales promotions

Potatoes are sold directly from trucks at times and locations announced in advance in containers of 10 to 15 kilos for 0.25 to 0.30 euros per kilo, while the retail price is around twice as high. Various consumer groups use internet and telephone communication to establish contact with producer groups and cooperatives for bulk orders.

Spread

The direct sales were initially carried out in provincial towns like Katerini , where 24 tons of potatoes were sold within four days, and soon reached larger cities like Athens. In this way, potato producers from the Nevrokopi growing area sold 15,000 to 17,000 tons of potatoes within a few weeks. The movement covered consumer groups, associations and communities in various regions of Greece, such as in Volos and various communities in Attica such as the municipality of Pallini .

The movement quickly became popular, with demand expanding to include other agricultural products, which more and more producer groups were direct-selling to consumers. The following have already been marketed directly: olive oil, flour, rice, beans, fruit and vegetables. For the Easter season, the direct sale of lambs is planned, which are sold for 7 to 8 euros per kilo in Evros , while 12 to 13 euros were paid in butchers.

Political concept

The potato movement surprised the official government policy of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, but also the political parties. The left SYRIZA and the Dimokratiki Aristera (Democratic Left) welcomed the efforts of the citizens, while the communist KKE regretted the move and urged citizens not to participate. She described the potato movement as an "immoral propaganda campaign to deceive the people". At the same time, the Ministry of Economic Affairs agreed to support the movement through a state Internet portal where sales campaigns can be queried.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Athens News of March 20, 2012: "Potato movement shifts 15-17 million kilos of produce" (English) ( Memento of the original from April 24, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.athensnews.gr
  2. ↑ econews.gr: "Cheap potatoes without intermediate trade in Pallini" (Greek)
  3. ↑ Ta Nea of ​​March 7, 2012: "The potato movement goes from community to community" (Greek)
  4. ↑ 8a-Gini-tis-patatas zougla.gr from March 4, 2012  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.zougla.gr  
  5. ↑ I Efimerida of 7 March 2012: "After the potatoes now cheap oil" (Greek)
  6. ↑ I Efimerida of 17 March 2012: "The potato flour makes the movement space" (Greek)
  7. ↑ express.gr of March 6, 2012: "Even greater dynamics of the potato movement" (Greek)
  8. ↑ kalabakacity.gr of June 22, 2012: "After the 'potato movement' the 'fruit and vegetable movement' (Greek)
  9. ↑ Protothema.gr of March 3, 2012: “After the potato movement, the lambs come” (Greek) ( Memento of the original from April 23, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.protothema.gr
  10. ↑ Newsbomb.gr from: “The roast lamb movement in Evros”
  11. ↑ Proto topic of March 2, 2012: "The KKE against the 'potato movement'" (Greek) ( Memento of the original from April 24, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.protothema.gr

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