S. Economides
Agricultural Research Institute, Nicosia, Cyprus
Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean, with a total area of approximately 9250 km2, of which 63% is under the control of the Cyprus government. Mean annual rainfall ranges from 250 to 500 mm, with large year-to-year variations and with some years almost completely dry. Winter temperatures vary from 0 to 20°C and summer temperatures reach 40°C. Natural vegetation is composed mainly of short-lived annual plants that dry out in late spring and no crop can grow in summer without irrigation. Soils are poor and shallow in many areas.
There are three main categories of agriculture: dryland farming, irrigated farming and animal husbandry. The main rainfed crops are cereals, vines, carob, olive and legumes. Forage crops, barley, wheat, oat, vetch and fodder pea are the most important sources for grazing and making hay, but yields may vary from 3 to 8 t dry matter per hectare.
Although irrigated farming occupies only 13% of the total cultivated area, its contribution to the gross value of crop production is about 60%. The main irrigated crops are potato, citrus, vegetables, watermelons and other melons and flowers. About 3% of the total irrigated land is used for the production of irrigated fodder crops.
Between 1975 and 1995, the area of fallow land decreased from 29,400 to 7100 ha, and irrigated land increased from 25,700 to 40,000 ha, 47% in temporary and 42% in permanent crops. Total agricultural land decreased by 13% to 200,000 ha, because of roadbuilding and the expansion of towns and tourism.
Agriculture contributed about 6% to GDP in 1994–95 and employed 10% of the economically active population. The contribution of livestock production alone was 1.4% of GDP or 23% of the contribution of the agricultural sector. The total value of livestock products in 1995 was 120,840 Cyprus pounds (US$ 242,000), with 22% from dairy cattle, 25% from sheep and goats, 21% from pigs and 28% from poultry. The value added from ruminants was higher than that from non-ruminants.
Between 1980 and 1995, the cattle population increased from 19,900 to 68,800 head. Sheep and goat populations declined slightly during the same period, to 250,000 and 220,000 head, respectively.
In 1975, milk production from cattle was 12,500 t, from sheep 12,000 t and from goats 18,000 t. By 1995, the total production had increased to 139,000 t from cattle, 19,000 t from sheep and 23,000 t from goats. During the same period, meat production from ruminants increased from 4979 to 12,850 t, representing 17% of total meat production.
Until 30 to 40 years ago, sheep and goats were the most important livestock in Cyprus. Local breeds of goats and fat-tail sheep were kept in traditional extensive systems. The productivity of the fat-tail sheep was low. Milk yield after weaning was 60 kg/ewe; 0.6 lambs per ewe were reared per year, and female lambs lambed for the first time at two years of age (Christodoulou 1958; Papadopoulos 1958). The new sheep and goat systems are semi-intensive and intensive, with housing, limited grazing and use of concentrates.
In 1995, a year with normal rainfall, local feed resources supplied 41% of total dry matter and 32% of total metabolisable energy intake of ruminants in Cyprus. In low rainfall years, the deficit is larger and consumption of concentrates is higher (Economides 1985). Expansion of irrigated forage crops is difficult because of the competition from food and cash crops. A shortage of drinking water for animals and for cleaning reduces productivity and increases production costs on the farms, because water has to be transported, particularly during periods of drought.
Disease and parasites result in high mortality rates, loss of condition, inefficient utilisation of feed and condemned carcasses. Intensification of production, however, has led to an increase in nutritional diseases and the need for more veterinary inputs.
Semi-intensive and intensive systems need better management, particularly to ensure correct feeding, and increased investment in housing and facilities.
Low levels of education inhibit the adoption of research results and new methods. Livestock producers and extension workers need training and mechanisms for disseminating research results need to be improved.
Further improvement of veterinary and extension services will increase productivity and reduce costs. Credit and marketing facilities also need further improvement.
The Extension Service of the Department of Agriculture is responsible for education and demonstration programmes, organising livestock shows, distributing improved animals to breeders and implementing development schemes and projects. These schemes have included replacing fallow land with legume crops; providing subsidies for barley grain, hay- and silage-making equipment, hay storage sheds and improvement of grazing areas; providing loans for the construction of buildings, purchase of farm equipment and animals; and demonstrating the use of sewage effluent for forage production.
The Veterinary Department, operating through district veterinary offices and rural stations, uses mobile clinics, laboratories, sprayers and dips to implement programmes for disease prevention and parasite control.
Loans and other inputs to livestock producers are channeled through the Central Cooperative Bank. The Cyprus Milk Industry Organization is responsible for the collection of cow’s milk and, more recently, sheep and goat milk in some districts, and for its distribution to pasteurising plants or cheese-making factories.
Activities include baling cereal straw, making hay and silage, ensiling agro-industrial by-products with high moisture content, improving communal grazing areas and improving the nutritive value of poor quality feeds.
Research is needed to gain information on protein degradability in ruminant feeds, by measuring animal responses, substituting soybean meal for other protein sources, evaluating complete feeding systems for dairy cows, using sewage effluent to produce forage and providing supplementary irrigation of winter forage crops.
Management includes increasing productivity by culling unproductive animals; early weaning and slaughtering of lambs and kids at the optimum live weight; breeding females earlier; improving rumen function by supplementation with nitrogen, carbohydrates, vitamins and trace elements; and improving the efficiency of the utilisation of imported grains by feeding balanced diets at appropriate levels, with the correct proportion of roughage, at different stages of the reproductive cycle.
Activities include prevention and control of diseases by vaccination; controlling ecto- and endoparasites; improving housing; and implementing proper weaning, nutritional and management systems to reduce mortality of lambs, kids and calves.
Standardisation and grading of sheep, goats and cattle carcasses should be instituted, and payment introduced based on quality criteria for both milk and carcasses.
The percentage of funds for research on animal production in Cyprus is approximately 0.75% of the GDP, which is low compared with many countries and needs to be increased. The relationship between research and extension officers needs improving, to aid the transfer of results to livestock producers, who need continuous training. In addition, credit and marketing facilities for livestock producers need improving.
The Agricultural Research Institute (ARI), a Department of the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment, is responsible for agricultural research. The Animal Production Section has well-trained research and technical staff; experimental units for Friesian cows, Chios sheep and Damascus goats; an Animal Metabolic Unit for digestibility and balance studies; and analytical and radio-immunoassay laboratories. The Veterinary Department has laboratories for disease diagnosis, public health and the production of vaccine.
There are joint international programmes at ARI with ICARDA, and at the Veterinary Department with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Cyprus can now participate in European Union research, technology and development projects.
Christodoulou J. 1958. Sheep and goats and their place in the economy of Cyprus. Countryman 12:23–35. Department of Agriculture, Nicosia, Cyprus.
Economides S. 1985. The Roughage Situation in Cyprus in Relation to Animal Health and Productivity. Miscellaneous Reports 18. Agricultural Research Institute, Nicosia, Cyprus. 13 pp.
Papadopoulos J.C. 1958. Sheep and goats in Cyprus. Countryman 12:6–11. Department of Agriculture, Nicosia, Cyprus.
