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Economic Indicators In Cyprus See Positive Shift From January To October 2024

The latest “Monthly Economic Developments” bulletin from the Cyprus Statistical Service (CySTAT) highlights an upward trend in key economic indicators for the period between January and October 2024.

Growth In Production And Construction

Manufacturing output rose by 3.3% in the January-September 2024 period compared to the same timeframe in 2023, reflecting steady growth in the sector. Meanwhile, the construction sector saw a remarkable surge. The total area of approved building permits reached 1,627.5 thousand square meters during January-June 2024, a significant 46.5% increase over the corresponding period in 2023.

Boost In Vehicle Registrations

Motor vehicle registrations also experienced notable growth. From January to October 2024, total vehicle registrations reached 42,930, marking an 11.5% increase compared to the same period in 2023. The rise was driven by a 15.8% increase in private saloon cars, which totalled 29,588 registrations, and a 34.2% increase in light truck registrations, which rose to 3,855.

Tourism Sector On The Rise

Tourism showed promising growth as well, with tourist arrivals hitting 3,727,196 from January to October 2024. This represents a 4.6% increase compared to the 3,562,417 arrivals recorded in the same period in 2023, signalling strong recovery and growth in the tourism industry.

Decline In Trade Figures

Not all indicators followed the upward trend. Total imports of goods fell by 12.3%, amounting to €9,758.1 million for January-October 2024. Exports also dropped, with total exports of goods reaching €3,383.7 million, reflecting a 5.3% decline compared to the previous year’s figures for the same period.

Inflation And Consumer Prices

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded a modest increase of 1.8% during the January-October 2024 period, compared to the same timeframe in 2023. This rise points to a controlled inflationary environment amid broader economic changes.

CySTAT’s report underscores positive growth in key sectors such as manufacturing, construction, vehicle registrations, and tourism. However, it also highlights the challenges faced in trade, with declines in both imports and exports. Overall, the data presents a mixed but optimistic outlook for the Cypriot economy as it navigates the remainder of 2024.

Only 1% Of Cyprus Farms Use Precision Farming Technologies

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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