The government will continue its efforts with a view to further support beekeeping, Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Maria Panayiotou, has said.
She was addressing a Bee Festival in Ora village on 19 May, on the occasion of “World Bee Day”.
Panayiotou said that an important tool for the development of beekeeping in Cyprus is the Beekeeping Programme co-funded by the European Union. “With this financial tool we support our beekeepers with an annual amount of €340,000 for actions related to their training, replacement of damaged hives, combating bee pests, research and actions aimed at raising public awareness of the importance of bees and their products,” she noted.
In her address, the Minister of Agriculture said that support for beekeeping, which, in addition to benefiting the rural economy, has beneficial effects for the agro-ecosystems, is among the priorities of President Nikos Christodoulides’ program of governance.
She assured that the government’s effort for providing even more support for beekeeping will be continuous, stating that “we fully understand the benefits of bees both in our natural environment and in the development of the primary sector”.
In her address at the same event, Commissioner for the Environment, Antonia Theodosiou, stressed that the implementation of targeted actions for the development of the beekeeping sector is high on the government’s priorities and in this context, a key pillar of the policy and action for her Office is the promotion of sustainable development and horizontal cooperation with the relevant government agencies and society through awareness-raising activities.
(Source: CNA)
