EmxetPq~lct~:fl 'Epevva / Operational Research. An International Journal. Vol.2, No.3 (2002), pp.339-346 339 A Multicriteria Analysis of Productivity of Agricultural Regions of Greece Th. Koutroumanidis I , J. Papathanasiou 2, B.Manos 2 1Democritus University of Thrace, Department of Agricultural Development E-mail: tkoutrou@agro.duth.gr 2 Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Department of Agricultural Economics E-mail: manosb@agro.auth.gr Abstract A methodology is proposed as a tool of comparison of productivity and ranking of agricultural regions. The specific methodology takes into account more than one category of criteria- variables and it is applied in two stages. In the first stage the more important variables-criteria are selected from a set of variables-criteria using the Factor Analysis of Correspondences and at the second stage the ranking takes place with the application of PROMETHEE II multicriteria analysis method. This methodology was applied for the comparison of productivity and the ranking of the five prefectures of East Macedonia and Thrace in Greece, based on the most important agricultural products of these areas. The results showed that in the period 1990-1999 the prefecture of Kavala surpasses on the productivity and follows, in second place, the prefecture of Rodopi. The prefectures of Evros, Xanthi and Drama posses respectively the firth, fourth and fifth place. Keywords: Multicriteria analysis, Factor analysis of correspondences, Productivity. 1. Introduction In a rapid evolving world economy the agricultural sector of Greece follows, with its problems, its weaknesses but also its possibilities, a hardly competitive course [Dimara (1989), Zerrou (1989)]. The agricultural sector of Greece continues possessing an important share in terms of the gross national product, in relation to the rest European Union countries [Paschalidis (1986)]. More specifically, the agricultural sector is called to survive in open and without protectionisms international competitive environment, where the term productivity will be supposed to become conscience of all that work on the agricultural sector and more specifically the state, which with his responsible institutions, will be supposed to be possible with the utilisation simple or complex indicators of productivity on one side to investigate the development agricultural sector and his course in each region of Greece and on the other side to compare the regions between them and to classify. In this paper a methodology is proposed for the comparison of the productivity of agricultural regions, according to which becomes possible the ranking of them. The