Strengthening the primary sector is a matter of food security, President Nikos Christodoulides said on Monday evening, announcing at a dinner hosted for the Cyprus Grain Producers Organisation that the government had earmarked €1.5 million for two new projects with a February 2027 deadline to address the increased cost of agricultural oil and fertilisers.

Speaking at the dinner in Aradippou, Christodoulides said Cyprus needed to protect the primary sector as an island country far from the centre of Europe.

Crises over the past years, particularly the war in Ukraine, have highlighted the importance of food safety and a strong primary sector, the president pointed out, adding that he was aware of the grain supply issue this year.

He added that Cyprus disagreed with EU member states calling for smaller budgets for the Common Agricultural Policy, stressing that the government’s position was to enhance the primary sector, upgrade the producers’ quality of life and attract the new generation into agriculture.

Christodoulides said a “lesson learnt” was 1990-1991 when producers were told to uproot their vineyards, but 36 years later efforts are being made to strengthen the sector.

He also thanked former agriculture minister Maria Panayiotou for her “excellent job” in the primary sector by promoting producers’ demands.

Production in 2026, he added, was better than the last years, which “creates optimism for producers following consecutive periods of drought”.

Christodoulides pointed out, however, that 2026 was marred by the foot and mouth disease, climate change, extreme weather phenomena, loss of crops and the high cost of production exacerbated by the Ukraine war and the Middle East crisis.

Turking to grains, Christodoulides said that since 2019 the sector had contributed €9.5m, while the government had come forward with grants worth €35m, including over €25m for losses in 2024 and 2025 due to the drought.

Other sectors were also being strengthened, for example €4.6m approved by the European Commission for farming due to the increase of animal food prices.

The president said farmers’ access to funding was being made easier with agreements expected to be signed soon.

Furthermore, in September, the agriculture ministry will be launching a debate for the new Common Agricultural Policy plan for the years beyond 2027, with the aim of supporting producers and strengthening the primary sector.