Important meetings were held yesterday, Wednesday, under the chairmanship of the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Mr. Costas Kadis, regarding the phenomenon of imitation of the Cypriot potato in the Greek market and the granting of compensations to farmers of mountainous areas weather phenomenon.
At the meeting that dealt with the treatment of imitation, ie the "baptism", as it was called, of potatoes from Egypt, France and other countries as Cypriot, it was stressed that this is a phenomenon observed in recent years in the Greek market, and is due to the high selling price of the Cypriot potato due to its quality. The Minister informed the representatives of the Producers, the Merchants and the Agricultural Organizations that he has raised the issue with his Greek counterpart and that concrete actions have been taken to deal with it. During the meeting, additional measures to combat this food fraud were discussed. The Minister stressed in this context that the final solution of the problem will be sought through actions in three directions: The first concerns the effort to record and cross-reference the data related to the export of Cypriot potatoes to Greece with the data of sales of Cypriot potatoes in this country .
The second concerns the registration of the Cypriot brand, which will be carried by all products produced in Cyprus. The Ministry has prepared a legislative proposal on this issue. The third concerns the registration of the Cypriot potato as a Product of Designation of Origin (PDO) in the list of Geographical Indications of the European Commission. In this context, a relevant dossier will be submitted for approval to the European Commission, with the aim of securing the Cypriot potato and protecting it at European level. He also informed that in order to implement this goal, cooperation has already started with the Agricultural University of Athens, with the contribution of which the relevant file will be prepared. According to the Minister, the registration of the Cypriot potato as a PDO will significantly reduce the problem.
Another meeting, attended by representatives of mountain communities and agricultural organizations, discussed the process of paying compensation to farmers, who were adversely affected by the extreme weather events observed last winter. The Minister assured that all outstanding compensations will be paid to farmers in both mountainous areas and the rest, by March.
"Due to the intensification of extreme weather events this year, many times more money has been given for compensation than was given every year, but there is a will to exceed this compensation to support our farmers," said the Minister, noting that the Services are needed. credit only a few weeks to be able to complete the relevant procedures. He added that in addition to the thickening of the weather, this year, the new risk management system was implemented, creating a further delay in the compensation of farmers, due to the transition from the previous system. In conclusion, Mr. Kadis stressed that no farmer will be deprived of the compensation he is entitled to.
Famagusta.News