FARMERS at the Nicosia market yesterday complained about the disease that has decimated this year’s crop and pushed prices up to €2.50 a kilo.
“Eighty per cent of all the tomatoes have been destroyed and there’s nothing we can do about it,” said Eleni Nicolaou, a farmer from Pharmakas, who was sitting with a towel around her neck and a hat shading her from the scorching heat at the weekly open-air market next to the ‘OXI’ roundabout.
Nicolaou explained that last year, there were around 2,000 crates of tomatoes daily, but this year, farmers were having to make do with only 200-300 crates, “and 500 on a good day”.
The disease, which has been around for about a month, farmers said, involves bacteria which attack the seed of the tomatoes. Farmers can do nothing but uproot the whole plant as it spreads at an exponential rate and can destroy other crops.
According to a farmer named Giorgos from Paralimni, the disease spread to Cyprus from Africa. Imported goods that came from countries in Africa brought the disease with them and insects then carried it to Cypriot tomatoes, he said.
Officials from the Ministry of Agriculture were unavailable for comment yesterday.
Rising prices of tomatoes is not only due to the minimalistic supply.
Farmers say they have to buy expensive pesticides with which to spray the crops. This means that they barely make any profit, they said. Furthermore, the insects have proven to be immune to the spray which means their tomatoes are still being destroyed.
The other problem that came with using pesticides was the fact that it affects the environment and farmers seemed to be against this as they promoted eco-friendly practices, they said.
One farmer, however, Koulla from Paliometocho said that her tomatoes were not affected in the slightest. Yet, she sympathised with her colleagues and agreed that this year’s lack of supply was problematic.
The farmers complained in general that imported goods were coming into the island from other countries in the EU at much lower prices. They said that they do not receive any subsidies, whereas other countries do and can therefore afford to lower their prices.
Subsidies from the EU are available through the Cyprus Agricultural Payment Organisation, but farmers have to fill out applications in order to qualify.
Other farmers supported the imported goods as they said it created a free market and gave the public a choice and variety.
