Christodoulides announces two €1.5 million support schemes for farmers

Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides has announced two new support schemes for farmers with a total value of €1.5 million. The funds will go towards compensating for the increased cost of agricultural diesel and fertilisers, while the programmes are expected to be implemented by February 2027. The president made the announcement at a dinner hosted by the board of the Pancyprian Organisation of Cereal Producers in the industrial area of Aradippou.

Of this amount, €1 million will be allocated to cover part of farmers’ expenses on fertilisers, pesticides and other agricultural inputs, while separate support will be provided for cereal producers. Both schemes became possible after the European Commission approved emergency financial assistance in response to rising energy prices, the crisis in the fertiliser market and instability in the Middle East: Cyprus was approved for €4.6 million for sectors that demonstrated income losses.

Separately, the state is paying €4.5 million in subsidies for the dry conditions in 2025, which will go to producers of cereals and fodder crops. Direct payments to the cereal sector for 2025 amounted to around €24.5 million, while since 2019 the state has allocated approximately €35 million to the sector. For the drought in 2024–2025, farmers received more than €25 million from the Agricultural Production Protection and Insurance Fund.

Christodoulides described the primary sector as a matter of national security: for an island state located far from the centre of Europe, it is important to ensure its own food supply. He also noted that Cyprus’s strategic plan under the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy for 2023–2027 provides for €454 million, while consultations on a new plan for the period after 2027 will begin in September.