Christos Senekis appointed as new Minister of Agriculture

Christos Senekis, a lawyer and Member of Parliament for Famagusta since 2021, has officially been sworn in as the new Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment of Cyprus. He succeeds Maria Panagiotou, who stepped down after 30 months in the position to pursue a role as a teacher at Drosia Gymnasium. The swearing-in ceremony took place on August 6, 2026, at the Presidential Palace, where President Nikos Christodoulides urged the new cabinet members to prioritize the public interest, maintain a clear European orientation, and engage closely with citizens across all regions, including remote communities.

During the handover, Senekis emphasized his commitment to transparency, the primary sector's competitiveness, and the support of rural populations. He identified food security and climate change as key challenges for his term. While the outgoing minister, Panagiotou, described her departure as a personal choice and highlighted the completion of 62 major actions during her tenure, media reports noted that her term faced significant scrutiny regarding water policy management, wildfire preparedness, and livestock disease outbreaks. Senekis has since transitioned into his office, where he will lead the ministry's ongoing strategic objectives while working under the government's established policy framework.