Nicosia, Cyprus. Cyprus potato farmers say the war in the Middle East has increased export shipping costs and caused delays, raising concerns about overseas sales, spokesperson Andreas Karyos said on Saturday.
Rising costs and delays for exports
Karyos told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) that higher shipping costs are reducing potential profits for farmers exporting potatoes. He said the situation has also led to shipping delays that could affect exports to Austria, Belgium and Germany, where supermarkets have “special programmes” that include Cypriot potatoes.
He said that if farmers cannot supply those supermarkets, the potatoes may be removed from the programmes. Karyos said European supermarkets know consumers “prefer the Cypriot potato because it is the best” and sell Cypriot potatoes from April to June until local potatoes in those countries are harvested.
He added that if supermarkets remove Cypriot potatoes from their shelves, it could take time before they are stocked again, leading to lost sales.
Weather-related setbacks for early crops
Karyos said Middle East tensions are not the only challenge, noting that heavy rainfall has made it difficult to harvest early crops. He said strong winds and sea salt have also destroyed some fields in Ormidia, Xylofagou, Liopetri and Sotira.
He said it would be wrong to complain about recent rainfall across Cyprus, adding that the main issue is that many small potatoes ready for harvesting, needed for domestic and international markets, cannot currently be harvested.
Rain forecast and water supply concerns
With heavy rain forecast for the island until Easter, Karyos said it would be ideal if the rain fell in Troodos to replenish reservoirs and secure water supplies for potato farmers in the second half of 2026.
How do you think continued shipping disruptions could affect the availability of Cypriot potatoes in European supermarkets?
