A €2 million support package for the agricultural sector is being prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture to support the agricultural sector in view of the crisis that has arisen due to the war in Ukraine. This was announced today by the Minister of Agriculture Costas Kadis in his statements at the presentation of rural development programmes, stating that announcements on support measures, both with European and state funds, will be made soon.
Kadis said that high prices are the biggest problem for farmers, both in Cyprus and across the EU, adding that on the basis of discussions at the EU Council of Ministers last week, a specific framework was presented through which member states can provide support to the agricultural sector.
"On Monday we prepared proposals for measures, in a meeting with all the agricultural organisations, which we will also see with the farmers, and I hope that soon we will see the President of the Republic and specific support measures will be announced," the Minister said.
Referring also to the type of measures proposed, he explained that the aim is to use all the tools announced by the EU, such as private storage of pork (also with European funding), as well as recourse to the crisis fund, from which the Commission will allocate half a billion.
"Of this amount, Cyprus has less than one million, about €700,000, and we as a state can add an amount of 200% to reach two million," Kadis said. "We will discuss the amount of state aid with the Finance Minister and the President of the Republic and we will make announcements," he added.
"We recognise that there is a big problem and that we have to support the farming community during this period," he said, adding that farmers are also satisfied because they saw the ministry's willingness to support them.
He also said that orders have been placed for the purchase of maize and wheat and a total of 36.000 tonnes of fodder will arrive in Cyprus and today he will also discuss with importers, with whose cooperation the storage and disposal process will take place when these stocks are deemed appropriate to be put on the market.
He also announced that he will soon meet with importers of cereals for human consumption to ensure that there is sufficient supply for a longer period of time.
He said that he will soon meet with importers of cereals for human consumption. "The stocks are sufficient for the next three and a half months, so in the near future the sufficiency is covered, but it is under constant monitoring," he concluded.
There is no agreement on changes in the milk quota of halal
Responding to a question on the halal registration case, the minister said "the file has been passed with certain specifications and we are all committed to adhere to them."
He explained that there were some discussions about differentiations, not only on the milk quota, but as far as the quota was concerned, there was no agreement. "There will be minor variations, concerning shape, weight, moisture content, breeds of animals, which everyone wants," he added.
Regarding the handling of cases that may deviate from the PDO and are currently on the market, the minister said the legal department was consulted to guide on how to handle them.
Source: CNA
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