Nicosia - Production of water from desalination plants will reach 250 thousand cubic metres a day by 2012, Agricultural, Natural Resources and the Environment Minister Demetris Eliades said.
In a press conference to present the work of his ministry during the three years in office of President of the Republic Demetris Christofias, Eliades said that this capacity would be enough to cover the water supply of the population and the tourism industry.

Eliades said that in 2012, the construction of the Soleas Dam is expected to be completed, and is estimated to cost 18 million euro, with the capacity to hold 4.5 million cubic metres of water.

During the last three years, he said, the total subsidy of farmers reached 497.87 million euro with the amount of 187.8 million covered by European funding while the remaining amount of 310.07 came from national resources.

He said that in this time of economic crisis, “we reply with careful work, seriousness and responsibility and carry out necessary projects which will upgrade, reinforce and lead to progress and development the agricultural sector”.

Furthermore, he said the Ministry of Agriculture would implement the Agricultural development Programme 2007-2013, through which a total of 99.7 million euro have been spent while a further 229.3 million will be necessary to complete it.

Eliades described as a great challenge the presidency of the EU by Cyprus in 2012. He said many big issues would be dealt during the Cypriot presidency, such as the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy, the Common Fisheries Policy, the new European Fisheries Fund, as well as other issues concerning climate change.