Farmers are confronting the government over water bills reaching €110,000 after authorities demanded retroactive payment for a decade of borehole use.
The Water Development Department sent bills for environmental fees and resource costs dating back to 2017, charging €0.01 per cubic metre for water extracted from private boreholes.
For large-scale farmers using hundreds of thousands of cubic metres annually over nine years, the seemingly nominal charge has snowballed into debts of thousands of euros.
At the heart of the dispute is whether the government can legally impose charges farmers were never properly notified about, and whether retroactive billing during an economic crisis and water shortage will destroy what remains of Cyprus’s agricultural sector.
Committee president Yiannakis Gavriel questioned whether the ministry has decided to “shut” the primary sector. “They are being demanded retroactively amid water shortages and high production costs. Where are we going?” he asked.
His question about whether golf courses—major water consumers—have paid corresponding fees received no ministry response, fuelling accusations of unfair enforcement.
Farmers’ representatives united in condemning the move. Tasos Yiapanis, general secretary of Panagrotic, called the retroactivity shameful, noting farmers had objected since 2017 and that the state only remembered to impose fees after a pandemic.
Thomas Thoma of EKA Nicosia said some producers face bills of €110,000 and demanded immediate withdrawal, not payment plans. PEK honorary president Michalis Lytras called for debt write-off before any discussion of future policy.
Western Nicosia farmers expressed particular anger. The region remains without government water infrastructure—the Northern Pipeline has never been built—forcing producers to drill private boreholes at their own expense. Now they’re being billed thousands of euros for water they had no choice but to pump themselves.
MPs amplified the criticism. Kyriakos Hadjiyiannis spoke of a “catastrophic strategy”, warning that the underground aquifer is now dead and the country remains without water because the state “waits for God” instead of investing in technology. He requested justice intervention for those responsible for the water impasse.
Charalambos Theopemptou focused on mismanagement, highlighting the paradox of throwing huge quantities of rainwater into the sea in residential areas whilst demand increases unreasonably.
Ministry defends charges as legally required
Agriculture Ministry Director General Andreas Grigoriou defended the charges as legally mandated under the EU Water Framework Directive and the “user pays” principle.
Retroactive collection is necessary for equal treatment between water users, he said, given that consumers receiving water from government water boards paid corresponding fees normally since 2017.
The delay in billing was due to administrative difficulties, but the obligation to pay remains, according to Grigoriou.
A meeting with agricultural organisations will take place next Friday. As a counterbalance, the ministry is promoting photovoltaic subsidies to reduce energy pumping costs through CAP 2023-2027.
Water Development Department director Iliana Tofa noted the charge should have been applied since 2017.
Billing has proceeded unevenly: Limassol district sent letters in 2020, Paphos in 2022, and Larnaca in 2024. Nicosia district only sent letters this year, whilst Famagusta has not yet billed borehole users.
The Agriculture Committee warned that without retroactive debt write-off, land abandonment will be the next inevitable step for hundreds of families.