Our priority is the production of high quality products, the reduction of production costs and the protection of public health and the environment, stated the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment Dr. Maria Panagiotou, adding that in the context of the challenges facing our agriculture, the Government and the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment focus particularly on upgrading the primary sector, which has always been a pillar of the economy and development.
In her greeting at the "21st Panhellenic Phytopathological Conference", at the Aliathon Resort, in Paphos, Mrs. Panagiotou stated that through strategic and targeted actions, we seek to shield our agriculture, strengthen the competitiveness of farmers and ensure a healthy future for society and nature. We seek, he said, to empower the farming world, ensuring not only the sustainability but also the prosperity of the entire agricultural sector.
Panagiotou, welcoming the event, which, as she mentioned, is being hosted in Cyprus for the first time this year, said that it highlights both the importance of the dissemination of research in the field of Phytopathology, as well as the opportunities created for closer cooperation between the scientific community of Greece and Cyprus , aiming to address common contemporary challenges facing the sector.
The challenges, which the field of plant pathology is called upon to face, are becoming more and more intense due to the various factors adversely affecting modern agriculture, he added.
It is a fact, Ms. Panagiotou continued, that Climate Change has turned into one of the biggest opponents of the primary sector. Increased temperatures, prolonged droughts and unevenly distributed rainfall, create an environment for the growth of phytopathogenic microorganisms, host vulnerability to them and change the growing conditions, favoring the spread of various harmful organisms to new areas.
To prevent additional consequences of Climate Change, the EU, said Ms. Panagiotou, set the goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050, through the European Green Deal which mandates the implementation of various policy initiatives such as the "Farm to Fork" Strategy , the "Biodiversity Recovery" Strategy and the "Climate Change Adaptation" Strategy.
Strategies, he continued, that force farmers to adapt to new options for the effective protection of their crops in the context of Integrated Plant Protection, but also the scientific community to conduct research to satisfy this need for new and effective plant protection options.
It therefore becomes obvious, he emphasized, "that the scientific community is a particularly important pillar of policy implementation for the EU member states, in our effort to deal with the phenomenon of Climate Change and the preservation of natural resources, with the simultaneous production of sufficient and safe food to meet the growing needs of the earth's population".
It is for this reason that the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment has undertaken actions to further strengthen cooperation with the scientific community to achieve our common goals, he added.
In this context, as he mentioned, the Cyprus University of Technology, the Agricultural Research Institute and the Council of Agriculturalists have been invited, and are now actively participating, in the Plant Protection Working Group established in July 2024, to diagnose needs and prioritize goals for solving plant protection issues, as well as developing practical solutions that strengthen agricultural production and protect our environment.
He added that fully aware of the challenges facing the primary sector, they have set as a key priority the strengthening of agriculture, investing in the quality of the products produced and supporting producers with targeted actions and investments.
We know, he said, that the challenges are great, from increased production costs to the effects of the climate crisis. However, through the tools of the Common Agricultural Policy and strategic plans, we seek to ensure sustainable solutions that shield agricultural production, promote innovation and strengthen the sustainability of the sector, noted the Minister of Agriculture.
He also mentioned that the Ministry, implementing the Governance Program of the President of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides, recently presented the Strategy for the development of the Primary Sector, which includes eleven Development Actions.
All our actions, said the Minister of Agriculture, are based on sustainability, with the farmer as the central core, and are adapted to the particularities of Cypriot agriculture, such as small fragmentation, difficult weather conditions and the lack of new people in the sector.
He also said that with a budget exceeding €100 million, they seek to empower rural communities through education, modern farming practices and financial tools, encouraging the participation of young people and women.
Our goal he added, “is to create a supportive framework that ensures fair conditions and a fair income for our farmers, protecting them from unfair trade practices. With these policies, we are building a sustainable and innovative future for the agricultural sector, while supporting the full protection of plant capital and production."
He finally pointed out that this conference is a valuable platform for the exchange of ideas and the presentation of new findings, giving impetus to cooperation and joint actions that will allow us to respond to the challenges of the future. Recognizing exactly the importance of the Conference, he finally thanked the Hellenic Phytopathological Society for choosing Cyprus to hold it and congratulated the Organizing Committee for its excellent organization.