Demand for halloumi collapses - Over six million kilos stored in warehouses

Demand for traditional cheese collapsed this year as restaurants across Europe closed

Main Image x2 8 2 Halloumi

Cyprus has a stockpile of 6.000 tonnes of halloumi, which was left unsold due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic that weakened domestic and international demand, according to authorities.

Producers have more than six million kilos of halloumi stored in warehouses, said the Minister of Commerce Natasa Pileidou before parliament.

Demand for traditional cheese collapsed this year, as restaurants across Europe were closed to combat it pandemic Covid-19, something that led to the closure of hotels and was an obstacle for tourism on the island.

From now on, the Cypriot government is mobilizing its ambassadors abroad to help producers sell their stocks in halloumi - the island's most important and well-known export product - to other markets, the minister added.

Halloumi, made from goat's and sheep's milk, was registered by the EU in April in the Register of Protected Designations of Origin (PDO).

The United Kingdom is the largest market, accounting for almost 50% of cheese exports, ahead of Sweden.

Source: ΑΠΕ ΜΠΕ