Following the rise in production costs, Cypriot potato farmers said on Thursday they will take action if the state does not intervene to support them. According to the farmers, the increase in production and export costs added to the already substantial damage caused by the extreme weather conditions on the island throughout the winter months.
“We cannot make ends meet,” the president of the Pancyprian Organisation of Potato Producers Andreas Karios stated. “A kilogram of potatoes now costs around €1.20, already up from €0.80, which was the average price in 2021. We should really be selling potatoes for €1.50 per kilogram, considering our current struggles, but then our sales would massively decrease, people would not be able to buy them.”
Regarding exports, which he said account for around 80 per cent of the entire potato production on the island, he said that potential increased prices would translate into cancelled orders from other countries.
Although some potato farmers were compensated by the state for the damage they suffered as a result of last winter’s severe weather bout, Karios said the support does not cover the situation they are facing at the moment. He then said that, should they not have a reply from the government soon, potato farmers will strongly consider large protests.
Source: cyprus-mail.com