Χαρουπιά: προοπτικές καλλιέργειας στην Κύπρο

Abstract

Carob (Ceratonia siliqua) has always been an integral part of the Cypriot countryside as in many agricultural areas of the island was being cultivated constituting one of the main sources of income of many people. In the pasts years, Cyprus was among the most important countries which exported carobs. Unfortunately, over the years a decline was observed in both its cultivation area and exportation volumes. However, the “black gold of Cyprus” started recovering and promises to generate profits on the island. Its cultivation is neither considered difficult nor problematic. In addition, apart from the cultivation and harvesting of carobs, postharvest processing is important to enable human consumption, since several products with beneficial properties on human health can be produced using locust beans. Furthermore, processing of carobs is in many cases intended to promote the product as food for animals. The purpose of this thesis is to address the large gap that exists in the literature regarding the carob tree and to focus on its growing prospects in Cyprus and the economic and cultural gain that can be derived from its cultivation. Overall, this thesis aims to be used as a manual for carob tree cultivation in Cyprus.