Funding for agriculture sector to exceed €450 million

Funding for the agriculture sector from 2023 to 2027 will exceed €450 million, Agriculture Minister Costas Kadis said on Tuesday presenting the government’s policy for the sector.

Kadis said the aim is to spearhead competitiveness, with a strong focus on research and digitisation.

“The policy is completely adapted to the new challenges which have come to the fore lately and there is a significant contribution to the national goals of the green deal,” Kadis said.

The plan was developed after constructive dialogue with society, agricultural organisations, the academic community, producers and environmentalists, he added.

Funding for the policy, which amounts to €454m, comes from both state and EU funds.

President Nicos Anastasiades said over €750m had gone towards agricultural policy during his tenure.

According to Kadis, the scheme for 2023-2027 has nine goals. These are to support sustainable agriculture and resilience, improve the place of farmers in the food chain, boost competitiveness with a strong focus on research and digital transformation and contribute to reducing the impacts of climate change.

Additionally, it seeks to maintain biodiversity, attract new farmers, boost employment and social inclusion in the field, as well as improve how agriculture can respond to societal demands where food and health is concerned.

According to Kadis, the policy will help those working in agriculture be more resilient from natural disasters and will help reduce energy costs by utilising renewable energy sources.

It will also help young farmers break into the field and expand possibilities on organic farming and animal feeding.

“We have implemented a series of national schemes aiming to boost our agricultural world,” Anastasiades said.

Cabinet has approved almost €50m to help farmers deal with consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic and the invasion of Ukraine, he added.

“I am very satisfied to see that in the past 10 years the EU funds for its common agricultural policy are utilised by Cyprus to the maximum.”