The President of the Democratic Party, Mr. Averof Neophytou, visited the Frenarous industrial area today, accompanied by the Member of Parliament, Mr. George Karoullas, the District Secretary of Famagusta, Mr. Nikos Georgiou, and members of the faction. Mr. Neophytou stressed in his statements that there is huge scope for the industry to have further growth and that as a Democratic Alarm we will promote in cooperation with the government solutions to the problems that our manufacturers face.
In the context of statements, Mr. Andreas Georgiou, President of Frenaros Industrial, stated:
"I welcome the President of the Democratic Alarm, Mr. Averof Neophytou, to the facilities of our company. We are glad that he was kind enough to be with us today, because at the same time I have the grace to be the President of Industrial Frenaro. The problems and issues that exist in the industrialists are many and we are happy to have a political official to listen to him, to see how the industries behave, how they fight every day to be right, to work, because it is an important part of his economy place. I see the industry being neglected. It needed to be developed more, it can be developed more. There are strong companies and they want the support of both the state and politicians in general. "Again, President, thank you for being kind to us today and I welcome you to Industrial Frenarus."
Mr. Neophytou stated the following:
"All these weeks we are out in the world of production we feel very different. Far from controversy, which creates a toxic climate and frustrates citizens. There are people like Andreas Georgiou, formerly the Hatzigiorkis family in Mylos and many other small and medium industrial enterprises that are examples of success. They create added value, they create jobs. And despite the fact that, as you mentioned, my dear Andrea, the industry is neglected. And indeed what was everyone's priority for years? Tourism, land development, services: accounting, legal, financial sector. Although the industry was not high on the priorities, I record a jump in growth. From the 4% that the industry contribution to GDP was a few years ago, in 2017 it has exceeded 5,6%. That is a 50% increase. I see that there is huge potential for the industry to grow further. Wherever I go I encounter similar problems, they need some more space, so it's time to see how industrial zones expand. Second, the high cost of electricity. It is the tallest in Europe. We are talking about industrial electricity and it is twice the average in Europe. And the third, technical staff. And it's a message I send: work is not just work behind an office. Technical professions can provide more income, better wages. And maybe we should do a self-criticism. Was it a big mistake to close ATI? We cannot have a country that produces only graduates and doctors. We also need the technical professions. And we do not only need them in industry, we also need them in tourism and the construction industry.
I will send a message. First my congratulations to the Cypriot industrialists. Secondly, we are collecting the various problems and together with our government we will promote solutions. And we do not dwell on words. Because in Cyprus the result counts and when the Democratic Alarm says something, it will have an effect.
I am sure that we will have the response of our government to support the Cypriot industry as much as possible. I will not tire of repeating it: the problems, whatever they may be, are not solved by a Public Service official who sits in the same office for 30 years, examines a field and never leaves his office to make an on-site visit. To see the problem but also to hear from the one who experiences the problem, concrete and practical solutions ".
Famagusta.News