Halloumi price to rise as PDO commodity
Cyprus’ Agriculture Minister Costas Kadis expressed his satisfaction last Friday with the production of local halloumi cheese as a product that has finally entered the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) category.
As of last Thursday, September 1, cheese factories and supermarkets in the Republic of Cyprus are obliged to comply with the specifications of the PDO, based on the relevant regulation and legislation and after an agreement is reached between all partied involved.
In his statements to the Cyprus News Agency, Kadis expressed his satisfaction with the fact that the vast majority of cheese factories have been certified by the international organization Bureau Veritas and have already started producing PDO halloumi.
He also said that production based on the strict specifications and procedures of the European organizations gives added value in both price and reputation. “My assessment is that we will see an increase in sales of the product, but possibly we will also see an increase in the price of the product,” he said.
The minister explained that the increase in the price of the traditional Cypriot cheese, especially in international markets, is something that has been sought since halloumi is one of the few products that had not received the price increase it deserved, despite the price growth in all raw materials required for its production. “Halloumi retaining the same price,” he added, “is not something that would have been normal.”
The minister also estimated that based on the increase given to sheep and goat farmers (30-35 cents), the final increase in the price halloumi per kilo will be less than 1 euro for consumers.
Regarding the prospects for new farms, Kadis said there has been a very high number of applications submitted under the investment program of the Cypriot Agriculture Ministry and several of the applications concern sheep and goat farming.
Additionally, the minister said five applications had already been submitted by Turkish Cypriots for the production of PDO halloumi and they are being evaluated.
The executive secretary of the Pancyprian Association of Supermarkets, Andreas Hadjadamou, told CNA that supermarkets will now only accept PDO halloumi, adding that an informal transitional period of 10-15 days has been given to sell off the old stock.
