Government seeking to give new momentum to farmers, says Agriculture Minister

The government is well aware of the difficult and competitive conditions that prevail today in Cyprus' agriculture, listens to the problems and is seekingm through its policies, to give new momentum for progress and prosperity, the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Dr. Maria Panayiotou, has said.

In her address to the 2nd Cyprus Cultural Festival of Harvest on 4 October, held in Acheritou, a refugee settlement near Dhekelia SBA, the Minister referred to the impact on wheat farming due to the coronavirus pandemic and Russia's war against Ukraine and noted that "we have developed support plans for the sector. Already assistance of €2.65 million has been paid to professional farmers engaged in the production of grain and forage crops".

Panayiotou also said that "as far as investment and rural development are concerned, the Strategic Plan of the Common Agricultural Policy 2023-2027 is a key tool for achieving our objectives, with a total budget of €454 million". She added that the Ministry, an ally of the Cypriot farmer, as she described it, has launched an intervention concerning "Investments for modernisation, improving the competitiveness of the overall performance and sustainability of agricultural and livestock holdings."

At the same time, she referred to the recent approval by the Council of Ministers of the revised Strategy for the primary sector, which, she explained, "aims to increase the contribution of the primary sector to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) through 11 specific actions. These actions include the promotion of new technologies, attracting young people to the farming profession, agricultural education and ensuring fair and stable income for farmers, especially professional farmers", she said.

(Source: CNA)