The Rector of the Agricultural University of Athens at the first Crete Development Conference

The Agricultural University of Athens participated in the first Crete Development Conference, organized by the Crete Committee of the Hellenic American Chamber of Commerce with distinguished speakers from across the spectrum of politics, local government, and productive sectors, on March 12-13 in Heraklion.

In his presentation, the Rector of the AUA, Professor Spyros Kintzios, emphasized the important position of Crete, where approximately 40% of greenhouse vegetables and fruits are produced - more than 300,000 tons each year. At the same time, he pointed out the need to improve the production model, with an emphasis on production throughout the year and adaptation to the needs of tourism, which constitutes the strongest "internal" export activity for the island. Equally important is the strengthening of manufacturing and the completion of infrastructure projects, particularly with regard to the requirements of the small-scale supply chain.

Finally, the Rector referred to the excellent training opportunities for producers and businesses in the primary sector through the ecosystem of lifelong learning, know-how transfer and innovation hubs that the AUA has developed in other regions of the country as a usable model of advanced training.