by the state to offer or maintain any expensive infrastructure (i.e. education,
health services etc) thus multiplying the effects of the initial abandonment.
As an island, Cyprus is isolated from its major export markets, and
has to deal with the traditionally higher cost of transportation compared to
its competitors in international markets for agricultural products.
Furthermore, where this would be an impetus for local production
unfortunately, the calculus is heavily against local growers due to other cost
increasing reasons like, labor, water and land. The tourism industry casts its
heavy shadow over agriculture as it continues to attract resources.
Currently the Agricultural Policy in Cyprus is depicted in one single
document, the Rural Development Plan (RDP) 2004- 2006 that is a bridge
into the full application of the relevant EU agricultural programs that
Cyprus is not due to access until 2007. The RDP is quite a multi pronged
program of activities and measures as agriculture has been amassing
problems and bottlenecks for some years now. For the first time,
environmental management and policies on relevant issues are becoming a
priority whose general economic development level does not correspond to
its poorly managed natural environment. Cyprus macro priorities in
agriculture for the future are essentially the modus operandi of the four
RDP targets: competitiveness improvement in the primary sector and in
agricultural products, reorganization of the social and economic fabric of
rural areas, protection of the environment and sustainable development of
natural resources, and adaptation of the institutional framework and the
mechanisms of exercising agricultural policy.
In the micro level, productivity enhancement is a one- way street for
agriculture. No matter how many and how big the handouts, grants, aid, etc
that farmers are receiving from Brussels are, no improvement of long lasting
nature will take place unless productivity is improved and the relevant
products become competitive in the market place. Furthermore, the ability
to engage in value added activities through processing of agricultural
products are also absolutely paramount. Additionally, extension services
and training must be made more widely and frequently available to the
farming community, and local farmers must be kept up to date with
information on their activities and trade, in tune with new and evolving
technologies and skills leading to the quality improvement of their
products.
Reference s
1. Agricultural Census. 1994. Ministry of Agriculture, Nicosia, Cyprus.
2. Centre international de Hautes Etudes Agronomiques Méditerranéennes
(CIHEAM). Accessed at www.ciheam.org
3. Food and Agriculture Organization Statistical Databases (FAOSTAT).
Accessed at http://faostat.fao.org/
4. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) - Terrastat. Accessed at
http://www.fao.org/ag/agl/agll/terrastat/
5. Food and Agriculture Organization. Accessed at www.fao.org/docrep
6. Georgiou A. and Skordis P. 2004. Reevaluation of Water Resources and
Water Use in Cyprus. FAO. Nicosia, Cyprus.
7. Gorton M. and Davidova S. 2001. The International Competitiveness of
CEEC Agriculture. The World Economy. 24 (2): 185- 200.
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