The assurance that the government will manage the problems and face the challenges of farmers in the same way in all areas, was given today by the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment Costas Kadis during his tour in the free area of Famagusta.
In a statement after a meeting with producers in SEDIGEP Paralimni, the Minister said that "today was an opportunity to talk to producers, to see the problems and to hear their suggestions on how to manage these problems. It is a fact that due to the measures taken to deal with the pandemic of coronavirus, hotels and restaurants remained closed, in general the tourism sector, with the result that there is a problem in the availability of agricultural products ".
He reiterated that "from the beginning, the government has reacted with two package measures to support the agricultural sector and we are currently discussing additional measures. Today we have found that there is an excess of watermelons or some watermelon plantations have been affected by the heat and whatever is justified will be compensated, "he said, noting that" what we are going to do is manage this excess production. In our minds, there are various ways of disposing of excess watermelon production. "
He added that "the watermelon growers of the wider region will already be supported by an amount of 50 thousand euros and the relevant proposal will be presented tomorrow before the Council of Ministers, so that they can continue and complete their plantations and proceed with exports. keep prices as high as possible in the domestic market. At the same time, we are studying additional measures that we will discuss with the Agricultural Organizations ".
Regarding vegetables, Mr. Kadis said that "the government has decided to support producers precisely to manage this period, which is a great challenge for all of us. With a recent decision of the Council of Ministers, an amount of 700 thousand euros will be distributed to vegetable producers to face exactly these challenges due to the pandemic of coronavirus.
He added that "we are always by the side of our farmers, we are by their side and together, in consultation and cooperation, I am confident that we will find solutions to keep the agricultural sector alive and well."
To a relevant question, the Minister of Agriculture answered that "together with the Agricultural Organizations we have started a tour throughout Cyprus and now that the conditions allow it we want to be next to our farmers again, on farms, in livestock and in the orchards to see up close the problems. We started with Larnaca, today we are in free Famagusta, on Thursday we will go to the area of Troodos and our tour will continue in the other provinces ".
I want to assure the whole rural world, he continued, that "as we manage the problems and challenges facing our farmers in the areas we have already visited, we will also see the problems in other areas, with plans that will benefit him." our rural world. Each region has its own peculiarities, which we see that farmers are sure that there will be measures to address the problems throughout Cyprus.
George Moulazimis, President of SEDIGEP Paralimni, after welcoming the Minister of Agriculture and the deputies who accompanied him in the region, thanked “the government for the help it offers. In the past, the government gave us 200 euros in aid, but now it is offering another amount of money for support, "he said, thanking the" Minister of Agriculture who is always by our side and when we have losses he is always by our side. "
Answering a relevant question, Mr. Moulazimis said that "the non-operation of hotels, restaurants and the tourism sector in general has greatly affected the availability of agricultural products, since they either only went to the local market or were thrown away. The government must help this situation that has arisen, "he said, noting that watermelon growers in particular have been hit hard by the heat.
The Minister was accompanied on his tour by representatives of the Agricultural Organizations EKA, PEK, Panagrotikos and Euroarogrotikos.
On behalf of the Agricultural Organizations, Tassos Giapanis, General Secretary of Panagrotikos, said that "the Ministry with the support of the Agricultural Organizations is coming to stand by the farmers" to address the problems that have arisen as a result of the coronation pandemic.
He added that the Agricultural Organizations agreed with a proposal of the Minister of Agriculture as tours are made throughout Cyprus, "so that the Minister can see for himself the particular problems that exist in each province. We started with the problem of potatoes, for which two million euros were given, "he said, noting that there were problems with various other products for which there was no way to export them to Europe and other countries.
He also noted that the problems were caused by "various plans to support either viticulture, sheep and goat farming, citrus fruits, vegetables and other products, including aid to water consumption, even to those who do not." they could get water from government irrigation projects. "
Mr. Giapanis also said that "we support and welcome the intention of the Minister and the state to help farmers. However, the problems are chain-linked and are constantly coming to the surface, such as olive oil and now the problem of not having watermelons, which is a pan-Cypriot phenomenon. "