Section ENVIRONMENT
TOPIC

LOULIS MILLS

Loulis Mills Contract Farming Programme

The aim of our “Contract Farming” programme is to better and more effectively meet our needs at the raw materials level, by simultaneously supporting the Greek producer. We can accordingly guarantee top quality products to our customers and consumers. Our priority is to support the Greek agricultural economy and supply the market with Greek cereals.

The programme is targeted at Greek farmers.

Since 2013

Loulis Mills is clearly focused upon the Greek market and the Greek producer and has accordingly engaged an agricultural scientist, since September 2013, in order to set up its own contract farming programme. The programme commenced in 2013 and continued during 2014, with the cultivation of 300 ha of durum wheat (by 50 producers). We received approximately 500 tonnes of product from these producers and are continuing.

Contract farming production during the 2014 - 2015 period increased by 2,000 ha. There are now 273 participating producers. The variety of the products has been broadened and soft wheat, Emmer and organic wheat are now being produced in addition to durum wheat, and the target is to receive nearly 8,000 tonnes of product by the end of 2015.

2,100 ha are being cultivated in collaboration with Greek farmers, which include Durham and soft wheat, Emmer, Dinkel and organic wheat. We offer farmers a guaranteed price and purchase their produce, as well as technical support from the associate agricultural scientist. We also provide the capacity for financing through our collaboration with the Piraeus Bank.

There was collaboration with the Piraeus Bank Group.

5 people from the company participated.

The wider Thessaly and Thessaloniki region.

• Supporting Greek farmers: Loulis Mills ensures that the money from their production is safeguarded through the programme; it provides knowledge to producers for improving the quality of the cereals as well as providing direct liquidity for cultivating expenses.
• Upgrading Greek cereals and the capacity for cultivating “specific seeds and cereals” with demand by both the domestic and the foreign market.
• High quality Greek flour will simultaneously be available to the consumer public. 250 Greek producers shall sell 7,000 tonnes of improved and validated Greek cereal quality to Loulis Mills, which shall be the raw materials for producing high quality flour.
• The consumption of Greek wheat shall increase in the long term and as the programme further progresses it shall respectively reduce imports.

• Monitoring the raw materials;
• Direct and effective communication with farmers with continual information on the progress of the cultivation;
• Acquiring knowledge about “specific seeds and cereals” that are considered scarce and are in demand internationally;
• Increased demand for its products.