Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment - Agriculture


	Search:
		Advanced Search Global Search

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

The Department of Agriculture bears the primary responsibility for extending the agricultural scientific knowledge, implementing the agricultural policy and helping improve the financial situation and the standards of living of the people in the rural areas. In recent years, the scope of the development function of the Department of Agriculture has expanded beyond the advisory role and that of scheme management. The Department has assumed a greater role in the agricultural arena of Cyprus by focusing its efforts in increasing farm income and food availability in the local market and improving the competitive position of the agricultural products of Cyprus in the foreign marketplace and especially in the European Union market. More specifically, the main sectors of responsibility are:

1. Provision of information, guidance and training to farmers and rural population to stay abreast of the current needs and developments.
2. Operation of schemes, programmes and other policy measures related to agricultural and rural development, regulation and adjustment of production and disposal of agricultural products, and support of the income of producers.
3. Implementation and enforcement of the phytosanitary and livestock legislation related to the legal regulation of production and the marketing of agricultural products and inputs.
4. Provision of help and guidance to conserve and protect the agricultural and natural resources by promoting environmentally sound and safe agricultural methods and farm management practices.

The services of the Department of Agriculture operate at three levels: Headquarters, District, and Beat. At the Headquarters there are 13 specialist sections of the broad sectors of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, aiming at the promotion and implementation of the development projects and schemes of the Department and the adoption by the rural population of new improved methods and techniques in agriculture, animal husbandry and home economics. Under the close supervision and guidance of the respective specialist sections, the Department operates a number of state farms, nurseries and stations aiming at assisting farmers to improve plant and animal production. At the headquarters, there are also the necessary auxiliary services such as, laboratories, the accounts office, and the registry.

At the District level, there are six District Agricultural Offices (Lefkosia, Larnaka, Ammochostos, Lemesos, Pafos and Pitsilia), which are suitably staffed for the implementation of the agricultural policy and the promotion of new improvements in the agricultural sector, through intensive training and guidance of the rural population and the promotion of the development projects and schemes. At the regional level, the six districts are divided into agricultural Beats consisting of a varying number of rural communities, depending on the size of the communities, the number of farmers, the intensity of the farming operations, etc.

The focal points of the development policy of the Department of Agriculture are the farmers and the rural women and the improvement of their financial and social situation. This objective is pursued through the promotion of projects and schemes for agricultural and rural development. The various development and training activities of the Department of Agriculture aim basically at achieving specific goals and objectives such as:

· Harmonization of the agriculture of Cyprus with the acquis communautaire which involves the preparation of new or the modification of existing legislations, the promotion of harmonization schemes and carrying out studies for the establishment of the necessary structures, legal entities, and harmonization services.

· Better utilization of the production resources, such as capital, land, water and manpower.

· Improvement of the competitiveness of the agricultural products mainly by improving productivity, the quality of the products and reduction of the production costs which are key factors for increasing exports and substituting imports of agricultural products.

· Provision of guidance and vocational training to farmers and rural women, as well as information on the latest technological advancements in the field of agriculture and rural development.

· Provision of information and training to the staff of the Department of Agriculture and the rural population on issues related to the European Union.

In the frame of the activities mentioned above, the Department of Agriculture promotes the implementation of development schemes, which encourage and facilitate rational investments at the level of the farm operation. These schemes can be classified into two main categories:

a) Schemes that provide low-interest loans to farmers through the Loans Commissioners, such as, the Scheme for the development of floriculture, the Scheme for the organic production of agricultural products, and the scheme for the encouragement of young persons to remain in rural areas, etc.

b) Schemes that subsidize the interest of loans issued to farmers by commercial banks and other credit organizations. Such schemes are: i) the scheme for improvement of the production efficiency of farm units which covers the sectors of vegetables, floriculture and aromatic plants, establishment of modern nurseries, mechanization of agricultural and livestock units, and bee-keeping, and ii) the integrated scheme for the development of animal husbandry, which covers the sectors of dairy, sheep and goats, poultry, and pig production.

Also, during the last few years a number of support measures and schemes are applied with the aim to facilitate adjustment and preparation of the agricultural sector of Cyprus to face effectively the challenges from the EU accession and the liberation of trade. Such support schemes are applied, among others, to citrus, deciduous fruits, vegetables, sheep and goats, dairy, etc.

Home Page | Government Web Portal | Disclaimer | Webmaster