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Cyprus wine sector to get €22 million over the next five years
Petros Xenophontos, the Agriculture Minister for Cyprus, has pledged €22 million of EU funding to the country’s wine sector by the end of 2027, to help modernise wineries and replant vineyards with more widely recognised grape varieties.
Over €22 million will be allocated to the wine sector in Cyprus by the end of 2027, Xenophontos said on Sunday. The funding is part of the country’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) strategic plan worth €373 million, which was approved by the European Commission in December.
The Cypriot plan aims to sustain the agricultural sector’s resilience against competitors. Around €155 million is set to be allocated to support farmers’ income. The Cypriot plan will support sheep and goat farming in particular in order to support the production of Halloumi cheese, the main Cypriot agricultural export and a registered Protected Designation of Origin.
Water management and soil preservation have been identified as the main challenges to address when it comes to environmental and climate action. Rural development funds will also support local businesses which, among other projects, is expected to lead to the creation of more than 900 jobs.
Vineyards and wineries will therefore get just a small piece of the overall pie, but the Agriculture Minister told the Zivania exhibition in Koli over the weekend that funds will go towards converting wine-producing vineyards to grape varieties more widely accepted by consumers, according to Cyprus Mail. Construction and repairs to dry stone walls are also a key part of the initiative, where there are soil slopes and erosion. Investments to modernise and improve the visibility of wineries is also among the support measures according to the minister.
The new Common Agricultural Policy for Cyprus and Italy, which started on 1 January 2023, is designed to shape the transition to a sustainable, resilient and modern European agricultural sector. The CAP will benefit from €270 billion in funding for the 2023-2027 period.