Nicosia, Cyprus. MPs on Tuesday warned that current water policy could drive professional farmers out of agriculture and questioned the government’s decision to extend dam water supplies to four golf courses until September. The concerns were raised during the first meeting between the newly elected House agriculture committee and Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou.
Committee concerns over irrigation policy
Committee chairman and Akel MP Yiannakis Gavriel said that “within three years there will be no primary sector, especially for seasonal crops,” criticising the exclusion of seasonal crops from this year’s irrigation allocation.
He also questioned the decision to continue supplying dam water to four golf courses despite previous assurances that the practice would end in May.
Minister defends extension for golf courses
Panayiotou said the golf course operators had requested and received “a short extension” while completing their own water infrastructure projects.
She said they were receiving only 1.5 per cent of the available water stored in dams and stressed that “this percentage will not be exceeded.”
Government approach to irrigation allocations
The minister said irrigation policy for 2026 had been based on “a difficult but necessary balance” between supporting agricultural production and preserving water reserves for future years.
She said priority had been given to permanent crops, greenhouses, livestock and industry through a three-year planning framework.
Panayiotou added that irrigation allocations had increased from approximately 15.3 million cubic metres to 18.7 million cubic metres following improved rainfall and inflows into reservoirs, with the additional quantities directed exclusively to professional farmers.
Long-term water security plans
Panayiotou also outlined the government’s broader strategy to strengthen long-term water security, saying four desalination plants had been brought into operation within two years, while further units would enter service later this year and in 2027.