Newsroom
Jordan has stopped importing halloumi and similar cheeses from the Turkish-occupied north of Cyprus, becoming the third country to pull out of that market in recent months, after Lebanon and Qatar.
According to the Turkish Cypriot press, the head of the so-called "Dairy Products Manufacturers Association" in the north, Mahmut Erden, said Jordan’s ban came into effect on May 13. As a result, containers of halloumi and grill cheese from Turkish Cypriot producers are now stuck at the ports of Mersin and occupied Famagusta.
Erden reportedly called on the breakaway administration in the north to step in and help the struggling dairy industry while also stressing the need to find new markets.
The move is another blow to cheese producers in the occupied territories, whose exports have been facing growing obstacles, especially as more countries align with the EU's standards and recognition of Cyprus' Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) for halloumi.
The PGI status, officially granted by the European Union in 2021, reserves the name "halloumi" (or “hellim” in Turkish) for products made in Cyprus under strict production criteria.
