Through the event, the start of a formal cooperation between the aforementioned bodies was announced, with Chairman of the LCCI – Stavros Stavrou – underlining the significance of this new venture in his address, “The involvement of these organisations demonstrates the scope and importance of the Halloumi product for various sectors of the economy, as seen in the industry, trade, tourism, hotel and catering industries.”
LCCI and LTB selected to establish this specific product via the gastronomic event as Larnaka is first on the island for the export of Halloumi cheese, as well as producing the largest quantity of milk.
The minister of agriculture, rural development and environment, Costas Kadis, addressed the event, noting the spirit it was being held in; to highlight and utilise the potential of Halloumi as a key ingredient in modern gastronomy.
Kadis added, “We have complete trust in the highly capable chefs of our island, and I am certain that in addition to the organoleptic potential of Halloumi, the product’s promotion will be maximised by the addition of what is possibly the most significant European quality label – the PDO – that Halloumi has held for over a year now. Our goal is to see Halloumi become more prominent on menus both in Cyprus and abroad, and events such as this hugely contribute to this aim.”
Stavrou stated that there is a huge mechanism behind Cyprus’ national cheese that affects primary, secondary and tertiary economic sectors on the island, also pointing out that Halloumi was and is “the backbone of the livestock and agricultural industries of our island with EUR270 million in exports per year, therefore urgently requiring further promotion.
Chairman of LTB, Dinos Lefkaritis, highlighted the tourism benefits of Halloumi in his address, which he stressed are in fact two-fold. On the one hand, there are economic benefits from the direct consumption of Halloumi by the million of tourists visiting the island, and the parallel recognition of the product abroad, thus boosting exports. Secondly, the promotion of agri-food and gastronomy promotes the local identity of a destination, adding value and quality to it.
