After successfully registering ‘halloumi’ (a traditional Cypriot cheese made from a mixture of goat’s and sheep’s milk) as a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) product, the government is now preparing an official request to register the island’s second most important agricultural product, the ‘Cyprus red potato’ (due to the red soil in which potatoes are grown).
As Jean Christou reports for Cyprus Mail, a speech by President Nicos Anastasiades delivered by Agriculture Minister Costas Kadis at a rural festival in Lefkara on Saturday night, says: “We attach particular importance to highlighting the uniqueness of Cypriot products. The registration of halloumi as a Protected Designation of Origin product is a collective success and our constant pursuit will be the registration of our other agricultural products on the lists of geographical indicators of the European Union.”
According to reports, because the Cyprus potato is so popular abroad, especially in the UK and Greece, there have been potatoes sold under the Cypriot name, and now efforts have begun to class the Cyprus potato as a distinct product grown in the unique red soil on the island, which is said to give the tuber its earthy flavour.
“A request is being prepared for the registration of our second most important agricultural product after halloumi, the ‘red potato’,” the president said in his speech.
Source: Cyprus Mail. Full story here
Photo: Credit and courtesy Parikiaki
