Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (31.07.12) reports that the number of citrus fruits in occupied Morfou has been drastically reduced and writes that in 1974 there were 75 thousand donum of citrus fruit gardens at the area, while in the last 38 years the number has been reduced to 35 thousand donum.

The paper writes that the citrus fruits sector, which was considered “the goose that laid the golden eggs” faces many problems due to the inconsistent policy followed by the “governments” and due to the salinization of the waters and notes that the “goose” have come to a mortal point.

Speaking to the paper, the chairman of the citrus fruits producers union, Ali Alioglu, stated that 10 thousand donum more are in danger and accused the policy followed by the government on the issue. In addition, Mehmet Ali Aybar, a former chairman of the citrus fruits producers union, stated that in 1974 there were three million 750 thousand trees in Morphou while today there are only one million 750 thousand.