Agricultural Innovation Project in Cyprus under the leadership of Bakan Hüseyin Çavoos

The Turkish Minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources Hüseyin Çavuş said that the Master Plan for Water and Land Resources of Northern Cyprus, organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, is a project that will help guarantee the food security of the Cypriot population and will revolutionize Cyprus' agriculture with the right strategy.

The launch of the North Cyprus Water and Land Master Plan was held in Lefkosha at Concorde Tower. During the opening ceremony, Minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources Hüseyin Çavuş and Turkish Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Ibrahim Yumakli gave speeches about the Master Plan.

Chavuş said that the water coming to the island from Turkey almost reaches every corner of North Cyprus and today they are planning the second phase related to the interaction of water with the land. Çavuş said that the main goal of the project since its inception was to achieve self-sufficiency in drinking and domestic water and then develop agriculture, industry and tourism creating additional value in agriculture.

Turkish Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Ibrahim Yumakli noted that they have conducted and continue to conduct irrigated water projects and said that they have spent 15 billion liras and will continue to do what is necessary for Northern Cyprus.

Chavoush said they are starting with Güzelyurt where 18,000 hectares of orange trees will be irrigated and then they will proceed to Mesaria. He also noted that a lot of ground work will be brought in as part of the project. Chavoush emphasized that this project is a developmental movement and they are determined to overcome all the obstacles faced by this age-old project and continue their work without interruption. Çavuş expressed his pride and honor to work together with his homeland Turkey for the development and prosperity of the country, and thanked the President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the team of the Water Affairs Service and the Turkish State Water Service for their participation in the project. He also expressed his gratitude to Turkish Ambassador to Lefkoş Metin Feyzioglu, Embassy staff and Vice President of the Republic Cevdet Yılmaz for their support.

Turkish Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Ibrahim Yumaklı recalled that Turkey had completed the Alakopru and Geçitköy dams, as well as the completion of the offshore pipeline line, which was a reason to call the project the "Century Project," and said that water had been delivered to Northern Cyprus.

Youmaklı said that works on the first part of the Güzelürt and Mesaria Water Transfer Tunnel, 5.7 kilometers long, have been completed and they announced the completion of works on the Imeni Water Transfer 1st part which will provide water to 18,730 hectares of land. He also said that tenders have been floated for the project of Imeni Water Transmission Part 2, 44 kilometers long, which will provide water to Mesaria, and the project of RCTCS Drinking Water Tank Connection Line, 207 kilometers long, which will provide water to 93 settlements, and also mentioned about water conservation works.

Youmakli said that with irrigated farming, the area will become a completely different place. Yumakli said that they always and everywhere support Northern Cyprus as the Republic of Turkey and stated that the total cost of the projects is 31 billion liras, of which 15 billion liras have been spent.

Youmakli shared information about the Master Plan for Water and Land Resources of Northern Cyprus and stated that the total land area of Cyprus will be established, considering the availability of agricultural land and soil classification, and the need for all water, including tourism potential, in 2074, and new sources of water will be investigated, and the quality and reserves of groundwater and surface water will be determined, and places for feeding the aquifer will be identified, and necessary solutions for rivers and streams will be proposed, that have flood and erosion risks, and opportunities to maintain and improve existing ponds and other facilities will be analyzed, and new water storage opportunities will be explored, and areas with wind and solar energy potential greater than 10 MW will be identified and future investment projections will be created, and new treatment and storage facilities for wastewater use for irrigation will be proposed, and actual costs for all proposed investments will be presented.

Youmakli said he believes this extremely extensive work will shed light on the economic future of Northern Cyprus.