Part of AKEL’s proposal for a cap on the price of grain adopted – More must be done urgently

Statement by AKEL-Left-New Forces MP Giannakis Gavriel

12 March 2022, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

The government’s decision yesterday to include grain/cereals in the list of products for which a cap can be imposed, although it comes several months late, is a step in the right direction and we welcome it.

However, it is only the first step. We are seeking the setting of a ceiling on high prices as soon as possible, given that developments are rapid and farmers cannot afford to wait any longer.

The government must also implement the law on maintaining strategic reserves, though belatedly with a year’s delay, concerning the obligations of traders and importers.

More specifically, the quantities held by traders corresponding to a 4% or 15-day supply must be declared strategic stocks. This would give the government the power to manage these reserves, if necessary, in order to ensure that no livestock farmers are left without feed and to avoid possible artificial shortages and profiteering by traders.

At the same time, we reiterate that the 36,000 tons of grain that the state has decided to buy must be placed in the currently empty state silos in Limassol, and managed by the state and not traders. At the same time, the government must immediately find ways to support the livestock sectors far from any bureaucracies.