# Why don’t they pick the fruits?!



## beforesunset (May 8, 2013)

I’m an international student and I’ve only been here for two years but there’s one thing that has always baffled me.
Walk around the neighborhood in Agios Dhometios and I see my neighbour's trees brimming with fruit ripe for picking. But I never see anyone picking them! In my first year here I just thought to myself they would eventually pick them off the tree, but they didn’t! They just let the ripe fruits drop to the ground and go to waste! My landlady grows some pomegranate trees and orange trees around the house, but she doesn’t pick the fruits off the trees, either. (I even counted the number of the pomegranate fruits on the trees.) Only two were gone because I…erm….picked them. They were smaller than those sold on the supermarket shelves but they tasted just fine and...fresher. 
Why do people grow those fruit trees if they are not going to pick the fruits? It just doesn’t make sense.
I’m sorry if this sounds stupid or belongs to the wrong section.


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## PeteandSylv (Sep 24, 2008)

It doesn't sound stupid at all. I think the answer is that these people have family land with the trees on and simply have no use for the fruit any more. You see this waste all over and it is a great shame. There does not seem to be any organised mechanism for receiving fruit like oranges and selling or juicing them. I would also imagine that organising that for people with just a few trees is problematic. I would also guess that the oranges are all on the trees at the same time thus the price will be lower and may not be economically viable. As for pomegranates, they are a troublesome fruit to process or do anything with other than the occasional 1or 2.

Pete


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## Pam n Dave (Jun 11, 2007)

Our locals received a grant a few years ago to grub up the vines that they were growing due to the wine lake so they planted oranges. They now receive so little for the oranges that last year they considered leaving them on the trees. When this became known the amount that they received suddenly went up but many of the fields get very little care now.


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## kdw2k (May 13, 2013)

We have had a bumper crop of grapes and gave them away to everybody who passed the house including the Brits on holiday who only stopped to ask directions!
The plums on the other hand, although in our garden, we are lucky to get any of those, the villagers seem to get in there first!


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## PeteandSylv (Sep 24, 2008)

Pam n Dave said:


> Our locals received a grant a few years ago to grub up the vines that they were growing due to the wine lake so they planted oranges. They now receive so little for the oranges that last year they considered leaving them on the trees. When this became known the amount that they received suddenly went up but many of the fields get very little care now.


I was told that the payments to rip up the old vines were to influence planting more popular grapes to improve yields. This has happened near us but why the EU interfere in this way baffles me. There is no wine lake and this year a wine shortage is forecast.

It would be so much better if the EU helped with the ability to process crops and use them rather than tinker with what is grown where.

So while farmers are paid to not plant crops in the UK, oranges rot on trees in Cyprus and there is a world wine shortage.

Pete


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## Pam n Dave (Jun 11, 2007)

I suspect that there could be a shortage of olives and oranges this year, in our immediate area the yield is very low. I suspect partly due to neglect.


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## Guest (Nov 22, 2013)

Pam n Dave said:


> I suspect that there could be a shortage of olives and oranges this year, in our immediate area the yield is very low. I suspect partly due to neglect.


It seems that olives are low everywhere. Our neighbor has about 40 trees that is his babies and he has not got 1 olive this year. Our 2 trees are also empty, so is others.

Anders


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## PeteandSylv (Sep 24, 2008)

Vegaanders said:


> It seems that olives are low everywhere. Our neighbor has about 40 trees that is his babies and he has not got 1 olive this year. Our 2 trees are also empty, so is others.
> 
> Anders


Ours too. In fact our entire fruit crop was poor this year and we have friends that have made the same comment.

Pete


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## Tanager (Mar 14, 2009)

Same situation in our neighborhood, they have a couple of trees (oranges, figs) but they just leave them there. Do they buy their fruit in the supermarket or they don' eat fruits? I don't get it either. We have one lovely lemon tree and we use them every day.


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## PeteandSylv (Sep 24, 2008)

I suppose it's possible that they are eating them but you just don't notice a few disappearing from a tree full of oranges each day. After all it's the best place to keep them fresh.

Pete


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## jamesshaffer (Nov 20, 2013)

An excellent question. I keep asking myself nearly the same. They probably simply don't see any sense in picking the fruits because they don't need them. Its easier to buy fruits in the supermarket and by the way those fruits from the supermarket look more attractive. Probably these people don't understand how happy they are growing fruit tress in their gardens without making much effort.


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## beforesunset (May 8, 2013)

Thank you guys for all your excellent answers. 
Helped me a lot.


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