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National Council to convene ahead of trilateral meeting in New York

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

The National Council is set to convene at the Presidential Palace at 11 am on Monday, 7 October to discuss the forthcoming trilateral meeting of Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides with the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tarar in New York on 15 October.

In statements to CNA, Government Spokesperson, Konstantinos Letymbiotis, said that President Christodoulides will brief the members of the National Council about the important meetings he held in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, while there will be an exchange of views and the necessary coordination in view of the 15 October meeting in New York.

According to the Spokesperson, the President will inform the National Council “about the important meetings he held in New York”, including his meeting with the UN Secretary-General and the representatives of the five permanent members of the Security Council.

“Furthermore, there will be a briefing and an exchange of views and the necessary coordination ahead of the October 15 joint meeting”, between President Christodoulides, and Turkish Cypriot leader, Ersin Tatar, in the presence of the UN Secretary-General, he added.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended conclusively.

Only 1% Of Cyprus Farms Use Precision Farming Technologies

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

Cyprus remains one of the European Union’s least digitised agricultural economies, with just 1% of farms using precision farming technologies in 2023, according to Eurostat.

The findings come as the EU continues to encourage the adoption of digital tools aimed at improving agricultural productivity, efficiency and sustainability.

Internet Access Expands, But Digital Uptake Lags

Internet access has improved across the bloc, although adoption remains uneven. Eurostat found that 43% of EU farms had internet access in 2023, with northern and central European countries leading the way.

Denmark, Germany, Slovakia, Latvia, the Czech Republic and Austria all reported internet access rates above 90%.

Greater connectivity, however, has not translated into widespread digital adoption. Farm management information systems, which help farmers manage day-to-day operations, were used by only about 11% of EU farms. France was a notable exception, with around 60% of farms using the technology.

Precision Farming Concentrated In Larger Operations

Robotics adoption also remained relatively limited, with only about 7% of EU farms using robotic technologies. Overall, around 18% of farms with utilised agricultural area employed at least one precision farming technology or practice in 2023.

These included robotics for plant protection, band spraying, variable-rate application, precision crop monitoring and soil analysis. Despite representing fewer than one in five farms, these holdings accounted for around 44% of the EU’s utilised agricultural area.

The figures suggest that precision farming remains concentrated among larger agricultural businesses, where investment in digital technologies is typically easier to support.

Cyprus Lags Behind EU Leaders

Luxembourg, Finland and Estonia recorded the highest shares of utilised agricultural area managed by farms using precision farming technologies, each exceeding 75%.

At the other end of the ranking, Cyprus recorded just 1%, while Greece and Romania reported between 10% and 15%. The results indicate that Cyprus remains at an early stage of digital adoption in agriculture, even as precision farming becomes more widespread across parts of the European Union.

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