The plans and priorities of the Ministry of Agriculture are underway as there are 18 months left until the end of the current government, with the Minister of Agriculture Nikos Kougialis stating to InBusinessNews that there are a number of issues such as the completion of infrastructure projects for uninterrupted water supply of provinces and Famagusta, the use of recycled water, the registration of agricultural products, and the development of organic farming through the system of hectare subsidies.
Water supply
Among the immediate priorities of the Ministry of Agriculture is the completion of the water supply projects of the wider province of Nicosia with the project of Vasilikos and the wider free area of Famagusta with the project of Kokkinokremmos. The construction cost of the two infrastructure projects is expected to reach € 80 million, according to Mr. Kougialis who pointed out that the goal of these two projects is to ensure an uninterrupted water supply for the next thirty years. The government has already secured a € 40 million loan for the Vasilikos project on favorable terms.
At the same time, the Minister of Agriculture stated that the processes for the utilization of recycled water are being wheeled through the various sewerage systems and the tertiary treatment. The goal, he said, is to add about 60m cubic meters of water over the next seven years to boost agriculture.
Development through product registration
In addition to the registration of halloumi as a PDO product, so far the papyrus sausage, the kolokasi - salmon pulp and the sweet rose of Agros have been registered as products of geographical indication. According to the Minister of Agriculture, there is a long list of products to be patented, namely five products from the area of Pitsilia, the files of which will be forwarded to the European Commission. "I believe that at the moment when some products have already been registered and the benefit has become transparent in these local economies, the interest is growing for the registration of other products," said Mr. Kougialis and pointed out that product registration leads to local development as The production of these products requires the raw material to come from the specific geographical area. "So in this way new small and medium enterprises, new agricultural holdings, new processing units are supported and of course better employment and living conditions are created in these areas."
This is the reason why the EU supports the registration of products as geographical indications, the Minister of Agriculture noted, adding that the registered products have added value, have an identity and can contribute to the promotion of the rich gastronomy of Cyprus.
Organic cultivation
The demand for organic products is increasing more and more with Mr. Kougialis pointing out to InBusinessNews that the Ministry of Agriculture supports the cultivation of organic products through the Rural Development program with various measures among them and the additional hectare subsidy. The goal of the Ministry is to develop organic farming as much as possible. "I believe that climatic and soil conditions favor organic farming."
At the same time, the Minister of Agriculture underlined that viticulture and winemaking are two sectors that the state has significantly supported, having in the last four years an amount exceeding € 25 million. "Here I want to congratulate the individuals who have used these funds, because they have done an amazing job in recent years. The sector of viticulture and winemaking has made huge leaps of progress and I am sure that it is one of the sectors that has an excellent future in Cyprus. "These people who are working in this field today have put it on a scientific and professional basis and the results are obvious."
"Pay as you throw"
The management of household and other waste is another issue for which the Ministry makes a significant effort to have a rational management and fairer pricing of citizens.
Specifically, the Ministry is oriented towards the implementation of the "I pay as much as I fly" system, in order to give the citizens the appropriate incentives to reduce the production of household waste, to increase recycling and to make the citizens more fair in terms of pricing.
According to Mr. Kougialis, there are various methods by which the "pay as you throw" system can be applied. By the end of November, said Mr. Kougialis, the Local Authorities will be informed about the various systems that can be implemented in Cyprus. The state, he added, will allow local authorities to choose the system they deem most effective, and the government will financially support this effort in its first steps.
Source: InBusiness