Betting on quality

In a market where production volumes are inevitably limited by sheer size, Cyprus needs to rethink its strategy for the agri-food sector. The new National Quality Certification System unveiled yesterday by the Minister of Agriculture, Maria Panayiotou , responds directly to what consumers are demanding: transparency, authenticity and trust. A simple scan of a QR code on the packaging, using nothing more than a mobile phone, will give buyers access to the product’s full “identity”, everything from its origin and journey to its specific quality characteristics. Alongside this, the minister announced a package of substantial incentives for producers who choose to sign up to this voluntary scheme, since beyond the theory, success will be decided in practice, and by how many farmers and livestock breeders actually take part. Promising as it is, the road ahead isn’t without obstacles. Monitoring proper implementation, inspections by independent certification bodies, public consultations and managing the digital infrastructure are all likely to place a significant administrative burden on state services. What’s more, the scheme’s success will hinge on how quickly industry bodies embrace the initiative, and on whether consumers learn to trust, and actually look for, the new National Quality Mark on supermarket shelves. Α.Ν.