New farmers have shown “huge interest” for new farmers’ subsidies with applications reaching €10 million, Cyprus Agricultural Payments Organisation (KOAP) chief Andres Kyprianou said on Monday.
Speaking during a press conference, Kyprianou said those among the youth who opt to invest in agriculture, farming, manufacturing and in traditional products with financial support from EU and national funds will yield “very good results” as the future of these sectors is bright.
Kyprianou said that a total of 291 new farmers have submitted applications to join the new farmers programmes, with applications for subsidies reaching €10 million, while the available funds amount to €5 million.
“Efforts are being made and I am optimistic that those who meet the criteria will be approved and subsidised as new farmers,” he said, noting that despite the problems of the current period, the future of agriculture, farming, manufacturing and traditional products is bright.
Kyprianou pointed out the need for continuation in the primary sector of the economy, noting that continuation is ensured if one attracts the interest of our youth in the primary sector.
Moreover, he noted that the sector of traditional products that are being produced not in centralised or local industries but in rural homes would give a farmer unprecedented prospects for family income growth, while helping combating urbanisation and enabling possibilities for the upgrading of traditional products.
In 2022, KOAP has disbursed €87.5 million in subsidies to Cypriot farmers of which €67.9 million from EU funds, while a total of €2.07 billion have paid to Cypriot farmers since the establishment of organisation in 2004, of which €1.22 billion from EU funds.
Kyprianou added that in the period of 2023 – 2027 KOAP will disburse a total amount of approximately €457 million to Cypriot farmers, excluding additional national subsidies.
The KOAP chief however pointed out that the primary sector is going through “an extremely difficult period” with unprecedented difficulties in 2022 due the invasion of Russia in Ukraine after which the prices of animal feed, pesticides, fertilizers and energy have skyrocketed raising the total production costs.
Source: Cyprus News Agency