Limassol: We are fully aware that drought is a constant threat to the primary sector on the island and for this reason the Government has been implementing a holistic strategic plan with 28 actions, aiming to reduce the dependence of water supply and irrigation on weather conditions, Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Maria Panayiotou, said on Sunday addressing the tangerine festival organized at Arakapas village, in Limassol district.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the implementation of the strategy is underway, however, a five-year period is required for its completion, in order to improve the management of water resources, to construct new infrastructure and to utilize alternative water sources. The Minister urged once again the citizens to rationally use the water.
She reiterated once again that the government is determined to breathe new life into the agricultural sector, with a new course that responds to needs and addresses its real problems. Panayiotou referred to the preparation and adoption of a Strategy for the Development of the Primary Sector, which includes the implementation of 11 actions with a total budget of pound 109.3 million for the period 2024-2028.
She referred to measures to promote the sustainability and competitiveness of farmers and added that the village of Arakapas has been included in the intervention area of the Limassol District Development Company Local Action Group LTD, to which a budget of pound 2.9 million has been allocated. Its residents, she said, can take advantage of funding opportunities for the creation and modernization of agro-tourism businesses, the construction of small-scale public infrastructure projects, as well as cooperation actions aimed at the circular economy.