12,000 Acres in Cyprus Held by Jews Despite British Policy

Much interest has been aroused here by a report from Famagusta in the Morning Post that, according to information obtained from the Land Registry Office, land held by Jews in Cyprus now amounts to some 12,000 acres, representing an investment of about £72,000 ($360,000).

About half of this land, according to the Morning Post, was taken over by new companies and immigrants from unsuccessful Jewish farmers.

Although the land was acquired at an average price of £6 ($30) per acre—the prevailing price for cereal land—it is really worth far more, according to the newspaper’s correspondent, since it is well situated near water-supply and is suitable for orange planting.

Orange growing land usually sells for £30 ($150) per acre in Cyprus.

What makes these figures interesting is that only recently the new Secretary for the Colonies, in his first Parliamentary utterance on Palestine and the Near East, came out against Jewish immigration into Cyprus, declaring that the government’s policy is to safeguard the livelihood of the inhabitants of the island, which would be prejudiced by allowing immigrants to enter freely into the island.

The Morning Post predicts that final figures for the expert of Cyprus Jaffa oranges will be considerably below last season’s record, partly due to the smallness of the crop.

It reports hope among the growers that the government will undertake an advertising program for Cyprus oranges, which are finding markets continually more restricted by the increasing Palestine production.

Measures for alternative crops, such as deciduous fruits, are also being considered. Cyprus cherries, for instance, fetch high prices in Palestine and the demand far exceeds the supply.