[PIO] The President of the Republic received the annual report of the Commissioner for Rural Payments

The President of the Republic Mr.Nicos Christodoulides received today, at the Presidential Palace, the annual report of the Commissioner for Rural Payments Mr.Andreas Kyprianou for the year 2022.

Delivering his report, Mr.Kyprianou said: "The Cyprus Agricultural Payments Agency (CAP) does not and cannot make political decisions, these are up to you, we just implement the political decisions taken both at national and European level. I must say that the CAP is a modern organisation with positions and opinions in the European institutions, it has accepted and constantly receives multiple audits to confirm timely and valid payments to the rural world, it tries to draw in its entirety the funds coming from the European Union (EU), but also to implement your national decisions, the government of the day, in relation to the support of the rural world.

I can only thank you for your cooperation.

I can only thank you for your cooperation. The cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture is excellent.

This year, through the decisions taken on Cyprus' strategic plan for the new common agricultural policy, the CAP will make payments of more than €100 million to the Cypriot farmer, livestock farmer and processor. The Cypriot agricultural economy is going through a difficult time through all these developments that have nothing to do with Cyprus, but I am optimistic that if we focus on the traditional products of Cyprus, the certification of even more traditional products, the Cypriot agricultural economy will have a very bright future. Besides, you know better than I do that if we are talking about combating homelessness, if we are talking about a centrifuge that will be created from the urban centres to the countryside, in addition to the health, education and other infrastructures that are being taken care of by the relevant ministries, the creation of an agricultural economy that will be able to keep young couples in the countryside.

In another capacity, I had opened these issues and I am glad that your Government is also proceeding with very specific measures to support agriculture - rural communities, to create jobs, but also to promote Cypriot agricultural and traditional products.

In conclusion, I would like to say that I see the enormous effort that your Government is making to provide additional support to the Cypriot farmer in view of the consequences of the crisis, of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the consequences that exist after the coronavirus crisis. We are always by your side to implement all these payments in a timely and accurate manner, whether they come from European funds, or from state funds, or a combination of both funds."

For his part, the President of the Republic said: "Today is a momentous day, considering the developments. In addition to the significant national resources that have been paid over time for agriculture, for the rural world, it is important that there is full absorption of European funds in general, but especially in this sector. And I say this because I am going to Brussels tomorrow. One of the most difficult issues that we have to discuss, which may even lead to a lengthy European Council, is the revision of the multiannual financial framework.

There are new challenges that the EU has to face and one of the firm positions of the Republic of Cyprus is that the cohesion fund and the common agricultural policy must not be reduced under any circumstances, because there are countries that argue that for these two policies the resources that the EU gives should be reduced. Our position is clear on this issue.

I recently had the opportunity to see the five farmers' organisations. We had a very constructive dialogue, I understand their challenges and their demands, I want to be honest. It is in that context that we came up with some concrete proposals. Certainly if these proposals could have been more from an economic point of view, we would have done so, but we are all moving within a framework.

And these are not the only decisions we have taken to address the problems we have at the moment. Throughout this time, almost nine months that we have been in government, we have made other decisions that affect the rural world, whether it's the water subsidy for West Nicosia or many other cases. Unfortunately, the primary sector in our country has been left behind; we have reached a point where it is below 2% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Cyprus. We see the effects that exist and clearly we are affected as a small country by external factors such as the war in Ukraine and other regional and international factors. What is most important is to have a strategy on where we want to take the primary sector.

And our intention, our decision is to increase the share for the primary sector in the GDP of the country. It is for this reason, and I am glad that there has been a positive response from the farmer organisations, that we have agreed to set up a working group, five people from the farmer organisations, five people from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Presidency, so that by 1 March we can come up with a common policy document on the basis of which we will work.

And, yes, you mentioned the countryside earlier, it is a holistic approach that needs to be taken that touches on other areas - whether it is housing or education or health issues or roads - so that we can achieve the larger objective which is the regeneration of the countryside.

I am very happy about the report, you can be sure that I will study it and we will be in constant contact and cooperation."

Kyprianou then said: "I would like to inform you responsibly that the CMP has already started payments for the extensification grants. Although we are in the new common agricultural policy which imposes new computerised systems, new controls, new European directives. Nevertheless, we have managed and the Agency's employees are working day and night so that we can respond and pay all the extensification payments. The ecoschemes have already been paid the day before, the sheep and goat farmers, the single coupled support for sheep and goats, the additional seven million approved by the Government for milk, plus other smaller grants, for citrus, water in western Nicosia and for maize. Payments to rural development programmes are also continuing as normal. So, I assure farmers' organisations that before Christmas, as every year, even though we are in a new common agricultural policy, from this year onwards all these payments will be made as normal, and explicit instructions have been given to that effect. All payments have already started and will be completed in a timely manner.

You understand that we cannot jeopardise European grants to Cyprus. In the context of an acceleration of payments, the necessary controls that are imposed must be carried out and that is why we are also audited by an auditing body as the CFCA. However, the effort is to fully support our farmers on the basis of the Government's decision to support the primary sector, but also on the basis of our will to absorb every last cent from the European funds".

(RM/MS/Th)
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