Nicosia seeks Greek help on potato fraud
Cyprus’ Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou has requested the assistance of Greek authorities to address the issue of potatoes from different countries being sold as Cypriot potatoes in Greece, in a meeting with her Greek counterpart Lefteris Avgenakis on the sidelines of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council of the EU in Brussels.
Panayiotou briefed Avgenakis on the very serious consequences of this practice, and stressed that it has a negative impact on the country’s economy. The minister requested the assistance of the Greek authorities to deal with the issue effectively, and her Greek counterpart responded positively.
The two ministers agreed to increase controls so that the Greek authorities will be immediately mobilized when counterfeit “Cypriot” potatoes are found on the Greek market, in order to confirm whether this is happening. They also agreed to impose sanctions to deter offending retailers, as well as to identify the establishments that package and promote these potatoes on the market with the indication “of Cypriot origin.”
In recent years Nicosia has received complaints about the marketing of potatoes from other countries in the Greek market with the indication “of Cypriot origin.”
