The full implementation of the "Establishment of the Register of Farmers and Agricultural Holdings (Amendment) Law of 2026" brings radical changes, simplifying bureaucratic procedures and opening the door to thousands of beneficiaries. The aim is to simplify registration procedures, remove practical difficulties identified during the implementation of the existing framework and expand the possibility of more farmers and farms participating in the register.
Until recently, the register functioned as a simple mechanism for registering farmers and farms. On the initiative of the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Maria Panagiotou, this tool was essentially activated and was directly linked to the granting of targeted aid and the implementation of significant support measures.
Today, registration in the register is the main criterion for participation in critical support schemes, such as Measure 23 to deal with the effects of prolonged drought, the rural electricity subsidy scheme and the financial support programmes for the purchase of fertilisers and agricultural supplies.
This strategy has led to a spectacular increase in membership. Indicatively, in 2023, only 2,407 natural and legal persons were registered in the register, of which only 497 were professionals. Today, this number has skyrocketed to around 7,700 registrations, including around 2,000 professional farmers. This development allows for a clear separation of professionals, who are a priority for the Ministry, while ensuring faster compensation procedures.
Perhaps the most important aspect of the new legislation concerns the facilitation of generational renewal in the agricultural sector, as there is a strong interest from young people in dealing with the land.
To date, there has been a serious legal vacuum. Legal entities (companies) that had been approved by the CBO to participate in the "Measure for the Support of the First Establishment of Young Farmers" did not have the right to be included in the corresponding category of the Register of Farmers, as this right was recognized exclusively to natural persons. With the new amendment, this obstacle is permanently removed. Now, legal entities that meet the conditions of the KOAP are also given the opportunity to be included in Category 8 (young farmers of first establishment) of the register, giving a huge boost to modern, corporate agricultural businesses of young people.
Significant reliefs and new categories of beneficiaries
The new amending Law of 2026, which was formulated through close cooperation between the Ministry, the Department of Agriculture and agricultural organizations, introduces a series of regulations that put an end to chronic practical difficulties, with the aim of simplifying procedures and correctly targeting the criteria for the participation of farmers in the individual categories of the register, but also the further facilitation of farmers in submitting applications.
>> The required period for the payment of Social Insurance contributions for the registration of retired farmers, fishermen and aquaculture farmers is reduced from 7 to 5 years.
>> The right to register is now also given to resettled persons (i.e. a Greek Cypriot or a member of the Maronite community who has settled permanently in the occupied areas).
>> For legal entities with agricultural activity, the required time for registration in the Register of Employers of the Social Insurance Services is dramatically reduced from 12 months or 2 years per case to just 3 months before the submission of the application.
>> Amateur farmers can now register not only as natural persons, but also through legal entities and cooperatives.
>> The criteria for cooperatives are expanded, allowing participation to pensioners who have been engaged in agricultural activity for at least 5 years before their retirement.
>> It creates a new category for exclusively agricultural legal entities, whose 50% of the share capital is held by persons employed by them and pay contributions as employees for at least the last 3 months before submitting their application.
>> A special new category is created for natural persons who meet the required agricultural criteria, but the submission or tax audit of their income statement is pending.
M. Panagiotou: Faster compensation
The Minister of Agriculture, Maria Panagiotou, speaks of an important reform, which was born through the close and constructive cooperation of the Ministry with the Department of Agriculture and agricultural organizations, having as a clear orientation the simplification of procedures, the removal of bureaucratic difficulties and the expansion of the base of beneficiaries.
According to the Minister, the utilization of this upgraded register allows the state to respond with much faster procedures to the payment of compensation and the financing of emergency support measures, such as dealing with the effects of drought (Measure 23), subsidizing agricultural electricity and supporting the purchase of fertilizers and supplies. At the same time, she emphasizes, through the correct targeting of the new criteria, a clear, fair and transparent separation between professional and non-professional farmers is achieved, ensuring that resources are directed where there is a real need.
