Cyprus Agriculture Minister Christos Senekis announced a broad consultation with the farming community, with the first open consultation scheduled for October 8, as part of preparations for the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) period after 2027.
Addressing the 46th Pancyprian Kolokasi Festival in Sotira, Senekis said the aim was to record the needs, challenges and proposals of farmers and other stakeholders and use them in designing the next CAP period. The new CAP, he said, “must respond to the real conditions in which the Cypriot farmer is called upon to produce.”
He noted that the CAP 2023-2027 Strategic Plan is a key support instrument for farmers, with total funding of €454 million. He described the response of producers to the plan’s interventions as particularly encouraging, noting that applications under the major investment measure and the scheme for the first establishment of young farmers, with a total budget of €67.5 million, corresponded to requested aid of approximately €210 million.
Senekis said the government recognised that approving an investment was not enough if producers did not have access to the financing needed to implement it. Following consultations with the Finance Ministry and financial institutions, he said, a new Financing Tool had been developed to facilitate productive investments in the agricultural sector and address a longstanding demand from the farming community.
Water shortage
Speaking on the water shortage for agriculture, Senekis described the issue as a critical and longstanding challenge for the primary sector, noting the difficulties faced by farmers due to restrictions on irrigation water. He said improved hydrological conditions in 2026 had allowed the revision of initial water allocations, with the Cabinet deciding in June to provide an additional 3.5 million cubic metres of water for irrigation in various areas of Cyprus.
He also said that more than €200 million in water projects were being implemented during 2024-2030, covering desalination, the use of reclaimed water, reduction of losses and network upgrades.
Senekis said the Cabinet had updated the desalination plan on September 2, approving three new permanent desalination plants in Dhekelia, Agia Thekla and Polis Chrysochous. Together with the new permanent plant in eastern Limassol, the four facilities are expected to have a combined capacity of 180,000 cubic metres of water per day.
The Government’s long-term strategic objective, he said, was to meet 100% of the country’s drinking water needs through desalinated water, reducing dependence on rainfall and dam reserves and creating greater security for irrigation and the agricultural sector.
Source: CNA
