Farming secures €850 million from EU, national funds

A total of €850 million has been paid out to farmers since 2014 from European and national funds, Agriculture Minister Costas Kadis said on Monday.

He was speaking at an apricot celebration on Sunday, saying that the farming of the fruit in Cyprus is worth around €1.3 million with around 185 hectares of land producing around 1,000 tons of apricots.

He said the fruit was an important crop for Cyprus, especially in mountainous and semi-mountainous areas, where under the right conditions it can be a good source of income for the producer.

He added that “in recent years, Cypriot agriculture is facing many challenges”, but said the “government is making every effort to address these challenges, having implemented all available financial tools.”

Funds are paid out through the Rural Development Programme.

Further support will come in the form of the Common Agricultural Policy, which will be in place until 2027, in which Kadis said Cyprus took and active role to make sure its provisions are favourable for the island.

At the same time, he said that in line with EU policies, Cyprus has reorganised and improved the agricultural sector, including reform of the risk management sector in agricultural production, and updating legislation on the supply chain.

Kadis said the government attaches great importance to highlighting the uniqueness of Cypriot products, aiming to add other products to the EU’s list of Protected Designation of Origin foodstuffs.