TURKISH Cypriot hellim producers in the north stepped up their campaign to have the national cheese of Cyprus patented under its Turkish name, as well as its Greek name halloumi, by staging a “hellim festival” in the buffer zone at the Ledra Palace yesterday.
Handing out samples of the delicacy to the accompaniment of traditional music and folk dancing, producers of the white rubbery cheese said they were seeking to alert the EU to the fact that hellim, or halloumi, is produced, and has been produced, by members of both communities for centuries.
“This is a reaction to the one-sided attempt by Greek Cypriot halloumi producers to register the cheese in their name,” Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce head Salih Tunar told the Cyprus Mail at yesterday’s event held under blazing spring sunshine.
“Cyprus has two official languages, Turkish and Greek. Therefore, the registration of this traditional product should be as ‘hellim’ and ‘halloumi’,” he added.
Argument has been raging between the two communities over origin and composition of the cheese since Turkish Cypriot producers learned earlier this month of Greek Cypriot intentions to register it solely under the Greek name halloumi.
Producers in the north say that if the Agriculture Ministry succeeds in registering the cheese under its Greek name alone, their operations under the name hellim will be rendered illegal. They and the Chamber of Trade have written to the Agriculture Ministry and the EU protesting against what they describe as the ministry’s one-sided move. They say their objections are now being reviewed by the EU.
Beyond the name issue, hellim producers and the Chamber of Commerce also had a political message they wished to convey to the Greek Cypriots and EU.
Tunar’s statement that “Greek Cypriot authorities do not have control in north Cyprus, therefore quality control should be done by Turkish Cypriot bodies” will be seen as a reiteration of wider Turkish Cypriot demands for implementation of an EU proposal for direct trade between the breakaway state and the EU. The trade proposal has been on hold since 2004, mainly due to Greek Cypriot concerns that allowing its implementation would lead to tacit recognition of the north as a separate state on the island.
However, hellim producers and the Chamber counter the argument by citing protocol 10 of Cyprus’s EU accession agreement which says that the Republic of Cyprus does not exercise control north of the Green Line dividing the island.
“Therefore, we need a separate authority that can inspect production quality in the north,” Salih said, adding that his Chamber would be the right body for the job.
He added that Greek Cypriot suggestions for the eventual extension of the Green Line regulation, which allows the sale of Turkish Cypriot products in the south, to include meat and dairy products, would not be sufficient to satisfy the demands of Turkish Cypriot producers.
“We want to export our products directly from Famagusta,” Tunar said, and added his belief that “direct trade will happen. It has to”. Turkish Cypriot trade organisations have been vocal in their criticism of the Green Line regulation, saying it is not wide-reaching enough to make a significant difference to the Turkish Cypriot economy. They cite figures showing that exports resulting from the regulation amount to little over a million dollars per year. Exports from the unrecognised port in Famagusta, however, account for a little over $60 million.
The hellim/halloumi issue is of great importance to the Turkish Cypriot economy, providing almost a third of revenue earned through visible exports. Last year, producers say, around 210,000 tonnes were exported via Famagusta to Turkey and Middle Eastern states earning around $20 million dollars. Producers fear that if the cheese is registered only as halloumi this trade would be lost.
