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- Ελληνικά
Director General for Agriculture and Rural Development Mr.Andreas Grigoriou participated today in the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting held in Brussels.
The Council discussed the situation of the EU agricultural market and grain exports from Ukraine. Member states provided information on production forecasts and medium and long-term challenges for their markets, and presented their experiences from the operation of the new EU stock monitoring system in relation to the anticipation of crisis situations on the market.
In his intervention, Mr Gregoriou thanked the Commission for the recent support measure for agriculture, but noted that the amount allocated to Cyprus is not sufficient to effectively solve the problems of its agricultural sector. He stressed the high dependence of Cyprus on imports and the increased cost of production which is a major burden for Cypriot farmers. He noted that the production of cereals cannot be predicted with certainty due to weather conditions and the increased cost of cultivation.
Regarding the monitoring of stocks, he supported the need to collect data in order to take timely measures to ensure the smooth functioning of the market, transparency and a level playing field. With regard to the developments following the closure of the Black Sea ports, Mr.Gregoriou reiterated Cyprus' support for any EU initiative to export food from Ukraine and enhance food security.
Regarding the Commission's proposal on the Rational Use of Plant Protection Products, Mr. Gregoriou said that there are still serious concerns and worries about the possible negative impact on the sustainability of agricultural production as a result of the reduction and severe restrictions on the use of plant protection products. He stressed as a very important aspect the existence of readily available alternatives and technological means that are practical and economically viable.
Finally, the Council discussed the recent proposals for Commission regulations concerning new genomic techniques and proposals for plant and forest reproductive material. Regarding the proposal on new genomic techniques, Mr. Gregoriou said that Cyprus is approaching the proposal in a positive way, however, appropriate safeguards should be examined and defined to create conditions for the protection of farmers and small businesses in the agricultural sector. With regard to the proposals on plant and forest reproductive material, Cyprus supports the effort to modernise the existing EU legislative framework for the movement and marketing of propagating material.
(AF)
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