Increased by 2% or by 5 million euros compared to 2021 will be the Budget of the Ministry of Agriculture for 2022 and will amount to 298 million euros, as he stated today before the members of the Parliamentary Committees on Finance and Agriculture of the Parliament, the Minister of Agriculture Costas Kadis.
Presenting the Budget of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Mr. Kadis said that the Budget shows an increase of 28% in development expenditures, while operating expenditures are reduced. “We are entering a period of implementation of projects to address the long-standing challenges faced by Cyprus,” the Minister stressed within the Commission.
He added that in the Budget managed by the Ministry should be added the projects of the Structural Funds that are under the Supervision of the Ministry, and amount to 45 million euros increased by 10%. As a consequence, the total Budget amounts to 343 million euros, increased by 9 million or 3% compared to 2021.
Mr. Kadis said that the Ministry has been implementing steadily in recent years beyond 82% of the Budget, something that is expected to happen in 2021, with the forecast to reach implementation beyond 85%.
Regarding the support of farmers from the consequences of the Pandemic, he said that the Government decided to take 41 measures with a budget of 29 million euros. Measures of 12 million euros were implemented in 2020, measures of 11 million euros in 2021 and measures of 6 million euros are expected to be implemented in 2022.
Mr. Kadis said that another peculiarity of the year is the response to the effects of the Fire in the mountainous Limassol and Larnaca, noting that the effort started from the same day of the fires. As he said, support measures have been implemented which extend to the new period and the goal is to reactivate and support farmers by all possible means while the Communities, he noted, should be supported with infrastructure projects.
Referring to the challenges of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Mr. Kadis said that the big challenge this year is to support the agricultural sector to deal with the effects of the Pandemic, as well as the development of the new Strategic Plan of Cyprus for 2023 -2027.
On the issue of reforms, Mr. Kadis referred to the legislation for dealing with Unfair Commercial Practices as well as the legislation for the review of the operation of the Public Markets.
Mr. Kadis stated that many issues of the Ministry that are included in the New Year's Budget are included in the projects and actions of the Recovery and Sustainability Plan. Among these important projects is the genetic improvement of the sheep and goat population.
In relation to halloumi, the Minister, answering questions from MPs, noted that efforts are being made to have sufficient quantities of milk to meet the production needs of halloumi. We are working on many levels, he said, to achieve this goal through the rural development program will be given 30 million euros for new units of sheep and goats, while at the research level the Ministry is working to increase the amount of milk. “Whether there will be any differences in the quota based on the EU's institutionalized procedures and procedures is something that we will consider in the next period in consultation with all stakeholders. “It is something that we are constantly monitoring and the goal is not to have a problem,” he said.
Asked whether we will be able to meet the needs of goat and sheep milk based on the quota of 51% by 2024, the Minister said that the Ministry is working for this through significant investment plans and improving production. He added that among the requests for differentiation in the halloumi file is of great importance the change that will allow us to utilize all the breeds of goats that we have in Cyprus.
In the field of Veterinary and Public Health, Mr. Kadis referred, among other things, to the restructuring of official veterinary controls in slaughterhouses as well as to the restriction of the use of antibiotics in Livestock. Although this use has been reduced by 15%, as the Minister pointed out, this is not enough and according to European directives, this reduction should be greater.
In the chapter on Animal Protection and Welfare, Mr. Kadis stated that among the objectives of the Ministry are the development and support of provincial shelters, the support of animal welfare organizations as well as the strengthening of the cat neutering program.
In relation to the chapter on Environment and Forests, the Minister referred to the National Plan for Climate and Energy as well as to the implementation of the Initiative of the Republic of Cyprus to coordinate the countries of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East to address the effects of Climate Change. . Among the projects in the Budget for the next year are the actions for the management of the waste for the implementation of the Circular Economy as well as the development of the Livestock Waste Management Unit in Orounta.
Regarding the Forests, Mr. Kadis said that among the goals are the strengthening in terms of infrastructure, improvement of the aircraft unit and strengthening of the firefighting, the acquisition of new aircraft, upgrading of the operational readiness for effective response to the fires. Elsewhere, answering a question, Mr. Kadis stated that the goal is to strengthen the Republic of Cyprus in 2022 with two additional aircraft. As he mentioned, since 2013 when Cyprus had at its disposal 4 aircraft, this year it has 6 and the goal is to acquire two more next year. In relation to the forest firefighters, he said that in 2016 their number amounted to 426 with 8 months of employment and this year they rose to 500 with continuous employment.
He also said that the plan for the commercial development of Akamas National Forest Park, the upgrade of the national parks, stands out for the new year. As he characteristically said, this year is the year of Akamas, as it is expected to complete two parallel processes that will bring a solution to a pending issue that has occupied the local community and public opinion for the last 30 years, in a very rational way, preserving the environment of the region. and providing significant benefits to communities.
Mr. Kadis then stated that the budget includes the plant planting program for the climate with tens of thousands of saplings being provided by the Department of Forests to tackle Climate Change.
This year, he said, the application will be submitted to make the Forest College an institution of higher education and to start offering study programs for the executives of the Department of Forests, as well as for other interested parties in collaboration with other Universities and educational institutions.
In relation to the fisheries and marine research sector, Mr. Kadis said that the central goal is the economic and social transformation of the fisheries sector into a healthy and productive marine environment. In this context, there is the program Sea, Fisheries and Aquaculture and the sponsorship plans for fishermen and aquaculturists will continue, while the creation and improvement of infrastructure to enhance fisheries, such as the project on the Liopetri River and the projects for the creation of artificial reefs. He noted that an important goal is the protection of marine species such as sea turtles, seals, and marine sperm.
In the Recovery and Sustainability Plan, the Minister referred to the project of tens of millions for the creation of infrastructure that will support aquaculture, which concerns collective port and land infrastructure.
On the issues of geology, medals and meteorology, Mr. Kadis said that the focus is on the protection, management and promotion of geological sites, the rational management of the country's mineral wealth and the monitoring of meteorological and climatic data. The goal, he said, is to rehabilitate areas that used to be exploited in the past, such as abandoned mines, to update the planning for sustainable mining action, and to upgrade equipment for safer air navigation.
