Covid labour shortage revives Greek traditional family affair of olive harvests

Argirakis walking in his olive grove in the Aghios Andreas village, about 300km from Athens. Photo: AFP

Nestled amid ancient ruins overrun by vegetation, Nikos Argirakis’ estate in Greece’s main olive growing region usually has dozens of foreign workers toiling around his 1,000 olive trees.

This year, the 40-year-old had to ask his sister and elderly mother to lend a hand because of labour shortages brought about by Greece’s coronavirus restrictions.