Figures for 2021, released on Wednesday show that there are 1,520 companies under the control system for organic production.

In an announcement, the agriculture ministry, to mark the ‘Day of Organic Production’ said there were 1,297 such companies dealing with organic plant and animal production and 223 in the secondary and tertiary sectors such as processing and marketing.

In addition, the total organic cultivated area amounts to 7,737 hectares, which is 5.8 per cent of the total cultivated area of ​​Cyprus.

Organic crops mainly concern grains, olives, carobs, vines, deciduous plants, vegetables, and aromatic plants, while in the livestock sector a total of 24 livestock units are active in goat, sheep, cattle, and poultry farming.

The ministry said it was in the process of drawing up a national action plan for organic production.

Consultations will take place with all the parties involved, and 22 million euros are being budgeted for the development of the sector including animal husbandry and beekeeping.

The Day of Organic Production was established by the European Commission, within the framework of the European action plan for the development of organic production, aiming at the same time to better inform the public about organic agriculture.

Through the European Action Plan for organic production, 23 actions are proposed around three pillars aimed at stimulating consumption, increasing production, and further improving the sustainability of the sector to ensure the balanced development of organic production.

Products labelled as “organic” and bearing the European organic farming logo are produced according to strict EU regulations, with agricultural processes that respect the environment and animals and create new opportunities for agricultural development, the ministry said.

The existence of the European organic production logo on the packaging of a food is a guarantee of quality in the method of production, transport, and storage.