Find Agriculture expertise in Cyprus

Industry

Agriculture, together with fisheries and forestry, accounts for 2% of Cyprus’ GDP (2010). Despite this relatively low contribution, which has steadily declined due to development of other sectors, agriculture continues to be a vital sector of Cyprus’ economy. It employs an estimated 4.3% of the country’s labour force (2010) and, in 2009 agricultural land accounted for 13.5% of total land area, with one in three farms specialised in citrus and other fruit. The average size of a holding in Cyprus is five hectares, with 79% of them specialising in crops of some kind (2008). Alongside citrus, the main agricultural commodities produced in Cyprus include olives, dairy products, barley, pork, lamb and grapes.  Commodities are grown both for the domestic market and as exports, primarily to European Union nations. Cheese, potatoes and citrus fruit (tangerines, mandarins and clementines) are the most lucrative exports, generating US$64m, US$44m and US$23m respectively in 2010. The Department of Agriculture is part of the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment, and is responsible for the country’s agricultural policy and general development of the agricultural sector

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