Pek says ‘no to barley for occupied fields’

THE Greek Cypriot agricultural organisation Pek has come out against the sale of barley seed to Turkish Cypriot farmers.

Earlier this week, Turkish Cypriot press reports said farmers in the north had asked to buy 100 tons of barley from the Cyprus government. The government was apparently considering the request.

The Cyprus Turkish farmers’ Union requested the seed barley from the Greek Cypriot agricultural organisation, Eka.

The Secretary-general of the farmers’ union in the north, Alican Kabakci, said they had been in touch with Eka through the World Farmers’ Union concerning the request.

He added the authorities in the north had been informed of the approach and said the union was now awaiting the decision of the Cyprus government.

However, in an announcement issued yesterday, Pek said it was against the government giving its approval.

The organisation said there were no guarantees the barley would end up with Turkish Cypriots, and not Turkish settlers.

Pek added that it was unacceptable for seed to be sown in the occupied fields of Greek Cypriots.

The organisation said it is not against peaceful coexistence, but not before a solution to the Cyprus problem.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.