The President of the Republic, Nicos Christodoulides, emphasized the importance of supporting the primary sector as a matter of food security for Cyprus, assuring grain producers that the government will continue to actively support the sector. He also announced two new initiatives totaling 1.5 million euros to address the rising costs of agricultural diesel and fertilizers.
Speaking at a dinner hosted by the Board of Directors of the Pancyprian Grain Producers’ Organization in the Aradippou industrial area on Monday evening, President Christodoulides stated that the primary sector “is central to the country’s security,” particularly for an island nation like Cyprus, which is located far from the heart of Europe.
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As he said, the crises of recent years—and particularly the consequences of the war in Ukraine—have highlighted the importance of food security and a strong primary sector.
The President also referred to the negotiations in Brussels on the Common Agricultural Policy, within the context of discussions on the Multiannual Financial Framework, noting that there are countries that wish to reduce CAP funding, a position with which, he said, Cyprus disagrees.
He emphasized that the government’s goal is to strengthen the primary sector, improve farmers’ standard of living, and attract the younger generation to the agricultural sector.
The President of the Republic also made special mention of the viticulture sector, recalling that in 1990–1991, producers were required to uproot their vines, and today, 36 years later, efforts are being made to find grapevines to revitalize the sector. As he said, this should serve as a lesson for all sectors of the primary industry.
At the same time, he thanked former Minister of Agriculture Maria Panagiotou, noting that she did an excellent job regarding the primary sector and that she consistently worked, through the Cabinet, to advance the sector’s requests.
Regarding this year, the President described production as particularly productive compared to previous years, a fact which, as he said, “instills optimism among producers following successive periods of drought.”
However, he noted that this year was also marked by marketing problems due to foot-and-mouth disease, while these difficulties are compounded by climate change, drought, extreme weather events, crop losses, and high production costs—which have been further exacerbated by the war in Ukraine and the crisis in the Middle East.
President Christodoulides noted that from 2019 to the present, the broader grain sector has paid contributions totaling approximately 9.5 million euros, while the government has provided subsidies totaling approximately 35 million euros.
For the droughts of 2024 and 2025 alone, he added, the Agricultural Production Protection and Insurance Fund disbursed more than 25 million euros.
At the same time, to address the dry and hot conditions of 2025 in the grain and forage crops sectors, aid totaling 4.5 million euros was disbursed.
The President also noted that, as part of the emergency support for agricultural sectors in response to the conditions of 2025, the European Commission has approved a sum of 4.6 million euros, which also includes Cyprus, for sectors in which a loss of income exceeding the specified threshold has been documented. Among the sectors proposed for support are cereals, as well as livestock sectors due to the rise in feed costs.
Regarding the increased production costs, the President of the Republic stated that “through a support program, a total of one million euros will be provided to eligible farmers to cover part of the cost of purchasing fertilizers, pesticides, and other agricultural supplies, with additional support for wheat producers.”
At the same time, he announced that the Ministry of Agriculture is preparing two new aid programs for farmers and agricultural businesses, following the European Commission’s decision to provide emergency financial support due to problems related to energy and fertilizer costs and the crisis in the Middle East.
The two projects, with a total cost of 1.5 million euros, are expected to be implemented and completed by February 2027 and will address the increased cost of “doped” agricultural diesel and support for farmers in light of rising fertilizer prices.
President Christodoulides also referred to facilitating farmers’ access to financing so that they can make the necessary investments.
As he stated, following discussions with banks through the Cyprus Bankers’ Association, the operational and cooperation framework has been finalized and approved by the Council of Ministers, and two applications for participation have already been submitted by banking institutions. The relevant agreements are expected to be finalized and signed in the near future, so that the new financing products will be available specifically to farmers.
Regarding the Common Agricultural Policy, the President noted that the CAP Strategic Plan for 2023–2027 has a total budget of 454 million euros, while the wheat-growing sector receives the largest share of direct payments, which amounted to approximately 24.5 million euros in 2025.
At the same time, he noted, “Starting in September, the Ministry of Agriculture will launch a broad consultation process to draft the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) plan for the period after 2027, with the aim of effectively supporting producers’ incomes and strengthening the resilience of the primary sector.”
President Christodoulides also addressed the issue of grain reserves, noting that he is aware there is a problem this year.
As he noted, he is traveling to Egypt today, and later this week he will welcome the President of Israel to Cyprus. He added that there may also be needs in Jordan and that he is expecting the specific data he has requested by tomorrow morning so that arrangements can be made to cover that production.
In conclusion, President Christodoulides called on grain producers to continue guiding the government, emphasizing that they know better than anyone how the State should proceed to further strengthen the primary sector.
