6.1.1 The ministries involved in aquaculture development and control are as follows:
The Ministry of Agriculture
The Ministry of National Economy
The Ministry of Industry, Energy and Technology
The Ministry of National Education
The Ministry of National Defence
The Ministry of Culture
The Ministry of Commercial Marine
The Ministry of Environment, Regional Planning and Public Welfare
The Ministry of Northern Greece
The Ministry of the Aegean.
6.1.2 Of these, the Ministry of Agriculture, through its Fisheries Service, has the principal role in aquaculture development and control. The Ministries of National Economy, Industry, Engergy and Technology, and Education also have direct involvement.
6.1.3 The Ministry of Agriculture is responsible for the administration of the relevant legislation and for the promotion and planning of new development. Current priorities are said to be the modernization of lagoon managements and the introduction of semi-intensive cultivation systems.
The Fisheries Service also administers state and FEOGA assistance schemes (Law No. 29/08/83) and operates an extension service through its regional offices. Out of a total complement of 150, 30 officials are based in central offices in Athens, the rest in regional offices. Currently 15 officers have specifically aquaculture responsibilities. Fisheries officers are predominantly biology graduates.
The Ministry operates two trout hatcheries at Louros and Edhessa and is currently building one at Drama. The carp hatchery at Ioannina was also built by the Ministry but is operated by a development company (DELI). Plans for three hatcheries for marine species have recently been made official although the locations for these have not yet been formally announced.
6.1.4 The Ministry of National Economy is responsible for the administration of regional development schemes and currently, under Law No. 1262/82, operates a national grant scheme which is separate from that operated by the Ministry of Agriculture. Under this scheme, aquaculture in any area of Greece is placed in the highest assistance (40%) category. Preferential rates are available to Greek nationals returning from abroad, merchant seamen, local authorities and cooperatives. This additional assistance is up to 15% and a further 5% is available to projects which are completed within an agreed time period.
As with the FEOGA scheme, only capital items are eligible for grant assistance.
6.1.5 The Ministry of Industry, Energy and Technology is involved in aquaculture development through funding of research and development institutes and programmes. Its major participation has been in the National Centre for Marine Research and the Acheloos Fish Breeding Centre. NCMR conducts basic research in aquaculture and the Acheloos Fish Breeding Centre is being established as a development company for research, development, demonstration and fry supply purposes.
The Ministry of Education funds university programmes and the Messolonghi training facility.
6.1.6 Other ministries with indirect involvement include Culture, Defence, Coastal Marine and Environment. These have a consultative role (see section 5) on questions regarding the interactions between aquaculture developments and tourism, sites of archaeological interest, defence needs, coastal navigation and pollution control.
6.1.7 The ministries of Northern Greece and the Aegean, as regional coordinating departments, have a potential future role but are not involved to any significant extent at the present time.
6.2.1 2nd tier government consists of 51 Prefectures. These are essentially the field services of the central departments. They are headed by Prefects, who are appointed by the government. The Prefect is assisted by a Prefectural Council which consists of representatives from local authorities, trade unions, agricultural cooperatives, tourist organizations and professional associations. Representation from these groups is based on legally defined procedures.
6.2.2 3rd tier government consists of 267 municipal councils (Demos) and about 6 000 village councils (koinotites). These councils are directly elected and have a wide range of powers including some development powers. However, the extreme fragmentation at this level means that these powers are not widely exercised. Development projects tend to be imposed by more viable groupings of authorities.
Of particular relevance to freshwater aquaculture are local authority powers to exploit freshwater springs for human consumption and irrigation uses.
6.2.3 Currently there are official efforts to decentralize planning and development powers in Greece. Law No. 1622/86 defines new arrangements for direct elections to the 2nd tier and provides for increased powers at this level. Law No. 1416/84 gave improved powers to local authorities to set up and participate in development companies and commercial enterprises. Some local authorities are now using these powers for promoting aquaculture development.
The development of aquaculture, with its highly localized potentials and problems, should be facilitated by this devolution of economic planning powers.
6.3.1 The Agricultural Bank of Greece
The Agricultural Bank, which is state-owned, is the principal source of credit for projects and has shareholdings in a wide range of public and semi-public agencies, such as development companies and technical assistance organizations. Four hundred regional branches provide services throughout Greece and there is a fisheries section in the central office in Athens. Loans are available to complement grant schemes and for projects in trout and carp production where no grants are currently available. Bridging loans are also provided.
Regional branches decide on projects costing up to Dr 50 million. Above this level, decisions are made by central departments.
In preparation for future development in aquaculture, the Bank has trained 50 employees for technical assessment and 25 employees for financial assessment of aquaculture projects. Guides on project assessment are also produced for employees.
6.3.2 The Cooperatives
The cooperative sector has a dominant role in primary production in Greece. There are some 7 000 cooperatives with approximately 1 million members, accounting for between 80% and 90% of all agricultural producers.
In fisheries, however, cooperative involvement is low with membership levels accounting for only 3% of producers.
Organization is based on unions of cooperatives at the regional level and a ‘union of unions’ - The Panhellenic Confederation of Agricultural Cooperatives (PASEGES) - at the national level.
PASEGES performs coordinating and representative functions. It is attempting to increase its involvement in fisheries and aquaculture and lobbies the government on behalf of the industry. Current priorities for aquaculture are as follows:
PASEGES are of the view that the introduction of intensive cultivation of marine species should be gradual and should be given a lower priority than it is being given at present. They foresee serious difficulties in obtaining adequate management and technical expertise.
On state hatcheries, it is felt that the restocking of public fisheries should have priority over private on-growing units.
PASEGES are also involved in aquaculture through the Kyparissi project, where they are building a marine fish hatchery for demonstration and training purposes.
Cooperatives play an important role in lagoon fisheries and it is evident that where a lagoon or set of lagoons is under the sole control of a cooperative, management is more effective. Moreover, the cooperatives play an important role in the introduction of improved marketing systems and facilties.
6.3.3 SPECA
SPECA is a commercial organization set up and owned by a number of Unions of Cooperatives. Its original purposes were the construction of agricultural buildings and the manufacture and acquisition of agricultural machinery. Since 1985 they have gone into the manufacture of cans and other packaging for food products.
Annual turnover is Dr 5 billion and they employ approximately 600 people. The company has considerable professional expertise, employing their own architects, mechanical, civil and electrical engineers, agronomists, and economists.
Technical support and construction services for aquaculture projects are recent developments. They have designed and constructed the Kyparissi facility and are currently undertaking a technical and economic evaluation for a 2 million fry capacity hatchery and 250 tonne on-growing unit proposed for Evia Island.
6.4.1 General
Most of the elements for the development and support of aquaculture do exist in some form in Greece. These include basic research and training capacities, legislative and consultative framework, public extension service, credit and financial assistance schemes, and state assisted development companies.
There are, however, serious weaknesses. Firstly, there is a lack of applied research and practical training. Secondly, there is an absence of good information services geared for use by producers and those working with producers. Thirdly, major weaknesses arise from the quality and lack of widespread availability of these services at the practical level.
6.4.2 Extension Services
Good extension work is carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture's fisheries officers in some of the regions. Work at Louros/Ioannina and at Kavala was clearly having positive long-term results. Good relationships with producers existed and there was an appreciation of the need to concentrate on the real needs and problems of the producers.
General problems with this service exist (see also, Edwards). Firstly, recruitment overemphasizes graduate qualifications in biology. The Ministry should revise its recruitment policy and build up capacity in engineering, economics, marketing and community relations. Where someone with experience of fisheries or aquaculture production is available, the lack of graduate status should not be a barrier to entry to the service.
Secondly, the administrative burden on regional officals should be rationalized and greater emphasis and reinforcement given to practical development initiatives in the field.
6.4.3 Hatcheries
The continuing practice of supplying fry free of charge each year to producers affects private hatchery production and prevents the full commercialization of the producers. A balance in the provision of this service should be arrived at and the set of priorities for supply of fry suggested by the local offices would seem to be suitable. These were:
Thereafter, fry production should be sold.
The direct running of hatcheries by government departments results in a lack of flexibility in their management. Development companies, like the DELI company running the Ioannina carp hatchery, free management from the constraints involved in direct control by the central civil service.
With marine hatcheries, the lack of technical and management expertise in Greece demands that foreign expertise be used in the design and initial management phases.
There are also potential problems with the planning of marine hatchery provision. The Minister of Agriculture has announced plans to build 3 new marine hatcheries but has not yet announced their locations. It would be advisable if decisions regarding these were taken in consultation with the other ministries who are sponsoring marine hatcheries.
6.4.4 Financial Support
The continuation of the Agricultural Bank's involvement is to be welcomed as it helps to ensure that development projects are given more realistic assessments.
Grant schemes are inadequate for the start-up of projects, especially those where intensive cultivation is proposed. The major costs in such schemes are operating costs, and grant assistance to cover these for the period between start-up and first harvest should be provided. This will be particularly important if the objective of developing small-scale production in economically fragile areas is to be achieved.
6.4.5 Cooperatives
Cooperatives will have an important role to play in the expansion of freshwater, mussel and marine fish production. Trout production needs organized marketing and, with weak low-volume markets in Greece, mussels will have to be aimed at export markets. The high costs involved in mechanization and purification, and the need to put together viable loads for transport over long distances, will require cooperative solutions. Small-scale production of marine species will also benefit from cooperatiion if dependence on costly intermediaries is to be avoided.
6.4.6 Decentralization and the Regions
It is generally recognised that there is extreme centralization of government and general services in Greece. For aquaculture, this results in both difficulties for commercial operators based in remote areas and in a lack of input from the regions to economic development strategy. The highly localized nature of aquaculture potentials and problems make it difficult to service from distant decision-making and planning centres.
The general move towards decentralization and the support provided to projects by EETAA are, therefore, positive developments.
This should be reinforced by the creation of more direct links between EETAA and centres of expertise such as the new institute at Heraklion University.
6.5.1 A number of government ministries are directly involved in aquaculture development in Greece, the principal one being the Ministry of Agriculture. Changes in regional government have increased regional participation. Other institutions involved include the Agricultural Bank and the cooperative organizations.
Most elements for the support of aquaculture exist, with the exception of capacity in applied research and an information service for producers. Problems with the quality and availability of services exist and should be rectified. The main weaknesses are in extension work, the management of hatcheries, financial assistance schemes, and the level of support for organized marketing.
There is a general need for practical support and development in the field.
