How the success of halloumi elevated competitors overseas.
When a product is extremely profitable, there’ll inevitably be many who try to repeat it. And our nationwide product isn’t any exception. The elevated competitors, nonetheless, should lead the state and the competent businesses to have their reflexes alert with a view to shield the primary exportable product of our nation, making certain by extension the exports as nicely.
The lead that results in competitors
Undoubtedly, halloumi is now our nation's strongest export card. Extra particularly, exports in 2023 reached 313 million euros and 239 million by August 2024. After all, behind this undisputed first place are the persistent and long-term efforts of the Cypriot corporations that make up the Cyprus Cheesemakers Affiliation, in addition to the exhausting their work, their labor and their sacrifices, to make the halloumi and by extension the Cyprus itself identified all around the world.
That is additionally mirrored in the truth that cheese making is a pillar of the economic system itself, contributing considerably to the GDP of Cyprus and in addition to employment, with greater than 15 thousand staff. It’s exactly this success of halloumi that has led a number of cheese factories in Europe and internationally to maneuver on to the manufacturing of different grilled cheeses. The precise objects might not be pretty much as good as halloumi, however they’re cheaper because of the completely different manufacturing course of and the liberty to make use of completely different uncooked supplies. Regardless of the indeniable supremacy of halloumi, the elevated competitors within the worldwide market doesn’t enable any complacency on our half. Quite the opposite, we want the due consideration and the required respect, each in direction of the customers in Cyprus and overseas, in addition to to our conventional product itself, which is intertwined with the historical past of our nation.
The duty that falls on the state
One would due to this fact count on that the federal government businesses, that are charged with the safety of PDO halloumi, would have developed an efficient mechanism to right away take care of the unlawful use of the title Halloumi or Hellim by overseas corporations, taking the required actions. Certainly, because the authentic product is protected throughout the EU attributable to its registration as a PDO product, whereas in third international locations it’s protected via logos. Particularly, if we additionally take note of the truth that primarily based on the opinion of the Authorized Service, all halloumi produced in Cyprus and exported overseas should meet the PDO specs, even whether it is exported to international locations that don’t fall beneath the PDO regulation.
So, when within the nation the place halloumi was born and is produced, the manufacturing laws are so strict, the identical strictness should be demonstrated in relation to its safety. Which sadly just isn’t the case, as lately there was each a worsening of the phenomenon – with increasingly more corporations overseas arbitrarily utilizing the title Halloumi or Hellim – and a delay in coping with it on the a part of the competent companies of the Republic of Cyprus.
The function of the Cyprus Cheesemakers Affiliation
For its half, the Cypriot Cheesemongers' Affiliation stays vigilant, instantly informing all related authorities each time it detects that the title Alloumi or Hellim is getting used illegally overseas. However with out being able to take any measures.
It must be famous that the phenomenon takes on much more alarming dimensions when the incidents concern the UK, because the nation in query is the principle vacation spot for PDO halloumi exports, since solely in 2023 the exports of our conventional product reached 47% to the UK. Due to this fact, if the difficulty of piracy overseas just isn’t addressed with due care, along with shaming different corporations, the advertising of PDO halloumi shall be significantly jeopardized by substandard counterfeit merchandise, threatening the viability of nationwide exports. our product. And meaning one factor. That we can not afford to relaxation.
*Mihalis Koullouros is an official on the Division of Industrial Growth, Innovation & Atmosphere of the Greek Cypriot Council of Cyprus and Govt Secretary of the Cyprus Cheesemakers Affiliation.
Take heed to the intervention of Michalis Koullouros within the “Morning Overview” broadcast each day by Politis 107.6 & 97.6:
Michalis Koullouros.
