President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides assured that the Government supports the business community of Cyprus, providing tangible support to all their efforts for development and progress.

He was speaking on Tuesday evening during the inauguration of the new production and bottling unit of “Alambra Fresh Milk” company, located in the Industrial Area of Aradippou of Larnaca district.

In his address, he said that the creation of modern and technologically upgraded units is encouraged, implementing specialised support programmes, with the aim of increasing their competitiveness both in the domestic and foreign markets.

He praised the company for contributing to the upward trend of Cypriot product exports, which, despite challenges in the supply chain, amounted to 1.7 billion euros in 2022, an increase of approximately 14.5% compared to the previous year, 2021. Of this, 284 million euros are related to halloumi exports, one of Cyprus' main export products, with 'Alambra' holding a significant share of the market, exporting PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) certificate halloumi to a total of 40 countries worldwide.'

The President remarked that the company provides and supports a large number of jobs directly and indirectly in the country, as it collects milk from over 400 producers operating throughout the government-controlled areas of Cyprus.

With the assistance of the state, the President said, “our industries are required to work on strengthening their competitiveness, primarily by upgrading their technological equipment, innovating in their production processes, and creating new competitive products, both for export orientation and for replacing imported products".

He also said that "the support and assistance of the state are substantial and tangible”, adding that the 'Alambra Fresh Milk' serves as an example since the company has been approved for a grant of half a million euros for the new state-of-the-art equipment it has installed, within the framework of the Grant Scheme of the Ministry of Energy, Commerce, and Industry for the creation, modernization and digital upgrade of processing and/or marketing units of agricultural products.

He further stated that "with a budget of approximately 25 million euros, this particular Scheme is being implemented within the framework of the 'Cyprus - Tomorrow' Scheme and is funded by the Recovery and Resilience Facility of the European Union," adding that "already, 122 applications have been approved for a total of 21.7 million euros in grants".

President Christodoulides also assured that "the Government always cares and stands alongside the business community of the country, providing tangible support to all their efforts for development and progress. In this context, we encourage the creation of modern and technologically upgraded units, implementing specialised support programmes, with the aim of increasing their competitiveness both in the domestic and foreign market”.