With a total expected expenditure of 454 million euros, the Government presented on Tuesday the new Strategic Plan of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) 2023-2027, which the Minister of Agriculture described as the Government’s legacy for the primary sector.
Addressing a press conference in Nicosia, the President of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades, outlined the actions of the new Strategic Plan of the Common Agricultural Policy. He said that the aim was strengthening the competitiveness of the agricultural sector and ensuring the sustainable management of natural resources. Other goals, as he said, include combating the aging of the agricultural population, to upgrade the services provided in the countryside and the further technological development of the agricultural sector.
The President expressed satisfaction, since as he said during the last decade, the European resources of the CAP are utilized by Cyprus to the maximum, ensuring full absorption of the available funds.
“This fact confirms the special interest that the Government has shown and is showing for farmers, the sustainable development of the countryside and the improvement of the quality of life of its inhabitants,” he said.
He noted at the same time that during the ten years of government, more than 750 million euros were channeled to farmers through the Common Agricultural Policy, along with a series of national plans to support the agricultural sector.
“The resources that will be allocated to the agricultural sector through the new Strategic Plan, but also through national resources, provide incentives and support to anyone who wishes to engage in agriculture and livestock and to utilize the actions and measures offered”, noted the President.
In his presentation, the Minister of Agriculture Costas Kadis said that the new plan was the legacy that the current Government will leave to support the primary sector. The Plan, he said, fully reflects the vision of the Ministry of Agriculture for the future of Cypriot agriculture and rural areas.
General objectives of the new policy are the promotion of a resilient agricultural sector, the strengthening of the environment and climate actions, as well as the strengthening of the social fabric in the countryside.
The program, the Minister said, was perfectly adapted to the new challenges that have emerged recently such as the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it contributes to the national goals set in the Green Deal and is the product of broad consultation with the society.
Kadis also said that the new Strategic Plan is based on the nine objectives of CAP, which are the support of sustainable agricultural incomes, food security, the increase of competitiveness of the sector with an emphasis on research and digital transformation, the improvement of position of farmers in the food chain, contributing to mitigating the effects of climate change and promoting sustainable development and effective management of natural resources.
It also aims at the conservation of biodiversity and habitats, attracting new farmers and facilitating business development in rural areas, promoting employment, social inclusion and local development in rural areas and improving the responsiveness of agriculture to the demands of society on food and health.
Responding to a question about the goals regarding the increase in the production of goat and sheep milk for the production of halloumi, Kadis said that there is a positive development, regarding the regulation on geographical indication products, that will allow Cyprus to have more time to adapt to the mandatory quota regarding the use of goat’s and sheep’s milk, for the production of protected designation of origin (PDO) halloumi.
Source: Cyprus News Agency