One of the most delicious fruits in Cyprus is unreservedly the strawberry, which due to the good weather but also the ingenuity and hard work of the strawberry growers thrives in some areas of Cyprus all year round. One of these areas is Deryneia, which produces about 60% of the total Cypriot production.
Attempting a historical review of the years in which strawberry cultivation began in remote Deryneia, we look back to the late 1950s, when the late Dimitris Giannoukos, also known as Mitsios, began cultivating strawberries, which were to make Dernia famous. for its strawberries in Cyprus and abroad. Blessed Mitsios started his production from the "Four Miles" area in Strovilia, where he cultivated strawberries next to the well-known Jewish citrus producer Perchiana.
The first strawberry plants, the inventive strawberry producer Mitsios, were brought from the area of Moutoulas and planted mainly in the area of Strovilia, Deryneia. Mr. Mitsios Giannoukos was the first and largest strawberry producer until his death in 1987, when he was succeeded by younger family strawberry growers and other farmers in Deryneia. It is noteworthy that several strawberry growers in Deryneia had very good relations with their Turkish Cypriot colleagues in the Limnitis area, which is also famous for its delicious strawberries.
Every day the late Mitsios and his beloved wife Irene, who recently passed away, took care of the strawberry plants with zeal and passion. They created modern warehouses and packaging plants in "Four Miles" and in the area near the community of Frenaros, known until today as "Ta Kyparissia tou Mitsiou". The family employed more than 200 workers from the area of Kyrenia and Famagusta, who arrived in Deryneia daily by bus.
Several foreign visitors and delegations visited the Mitsios strawberry groves through Cypriot agricultural organizations to admire the way the Deryneia strawberry is produced and exported. Prior to 1974, the Mitsiou and Irini Giannoukou families exported strawberries mainly to Britain and the Arab world.
Many times, due to the heavy rains, bad weather and other diseases, strawberry plants did not easily produce fruit and that is why they fought the diseases with tobacco leaves, which they brought from Karpasia. However, the fertile red earth of the province of Famagusta and the fresh water of the then rich springs, contributed to the increase in strawberry production.
In the late 1970s, the first new strawberry varieties arrived in Deryneia from Israel and the United States. Several young strawberry growers have incorporated hydroponics into their production using state-of-the-art technology, integrated management and organic plant protection products, as well as bees to fertilize plants.
Today, Deryneia is proud of its strawberries, as it has created its own tradition in both production and cultivation. Every year we are visited by several students, tourists and journalists from Cyprus and abroad, who want to watch the process of ripening the strawberries as well as taste them directly from the field or the greenhouse.
Several young strawberry growers, wanting to continue the Deryneian tradition of strawberry, followed the profession of their ancestors, which makes us very happy, as a Municipal Authority, since in this way we contribute to the promotion of the primary sector and job creation. It is, therefore, the duty of every Deryneiotis to maintain this tradition, but also our obligation not to forget our roots and origins.
The words of the late Irene Mitsiou Giannoukou and her advice, when we visited her, will remain deeply etched in our memory. Indicative of what we should do in Deryneia is her important advice "Watch out for the strawberries of Deryneia".
Andros Karagiannis, Mayor of Deryneia