Oranges were introduced to Cyprus in the 16th century by the Portuguese, who had discovered them in the East Indies, hence the Greek word for orange is Portokalli. The fruit flourished in the near perfect climate, but water was always an enormous problem, as each tree requires so much water, so the first trees were planted in areas near fresh water springs. As irrigation systems were developed, and became more effective so oranges were grown more widely and became an increasingly important export. The first main growing area was near Famagusta, where there was plenty of water for the orange groves from a series of bore holes. Later, Morphou also developed large orange plantations. In January 1935 the first Orange Day was held in Famagusta, and quickly became a large and popular event., with colourful processions and pretty girls handing all spectators an orange to enjoy. Sadly the Orange Day festivals were last held in January 1974, six months before both areas were occupied.

The large coastal area west of Limassol is known as Phassouri and since 1974 has developed into the main growing area with its rich fertile soil and ready water supply. More recently the plantations in the Chrysochou valley stretching between Paphos and Polis Chrysochou have been developed as part of the Paphos Irrigation Development Programme. Before the programme began in 1980, orange growing had just taken place in a few small groves where water was plentiful, but can now be done on a commercial basis.

Three varieties of orange grow in Cyprus, the most important is the Jaffa, that was brought to the island from Palestine in the 1860's and the Valencia variety that was introduced from South Africa in 1932 because of its particularly high juice content. More recently, the Washington Navel {also known as the Merlin} has been grown for its sweet taste and is sold to local housewives as a dessert fruit. Bitter oranges have also been grown in Cyprus for many years; they are used by marmalade manufacturers, but more importantly are used by growers for grafting the other varieties successfully.

The orange harvest begins in October each year and continues until early April. 110,000 tons of fruit are exported annually and the remainder sold locally and used in the manufacture of drinks The citrus groves, whilst privately owned, are monitored by the Department of Agriculture. Yeoryios Michelides from the Paphos Office, and his colleagues in all the provincial offices, spend much time visiting the orange groves to check that all is well and that the fruit is in good condition. The department regularly publishes bulletins in the national papers advising farmers when, and how to spray their crops, plus other useful information.

Whilst some citrus fruit is sold on the home market, much is exported to European countries and the Middle East, and annually brings Cyprus a revenue of £16.7 million. Citrus fruit is also processed, and the juice and other by-products are also exported at a value of £7.7 million a year.

The oranges are processed by several local companies. As soon as the oranges arrive at the factory, they are loaded onto a conveyor belt. First a special machine scores the surface so that the essential oil can be collected as this is the purest oil. This is then collected into a centrifugal purifier before being bottled and exported.

The oranges are divided into size category by machine, and then dispatched by conveyor belt to large juice extraction machines. The collected juice is filtered and pasteurised and condensed to give a ratio of 5:1. This 100% concentrated fruit juice contains no sugar, no additives and no preservatives, and is quickly chilled before being sealed in large double skinned plastic containers. The juice is then kept in cold storage at -18C until it is required. Some Cyprus orange concentrate is sold to foreign companies to make their own juice. But alas, the demand for orange juice is too great on the home market for any to be spared!

When the orange concentrate is required, it is first carefully pasteurised by being heated to a very high temperature, for just a few seconds, any longer and the vital vitamin content would be destroyed. The concentrate is then mixed with water and piped to packaging machines. Some of the juice concentrate is used for fruit fizzy drinks. The busiest time for the Cyprus citrus industry is from the March until October, when local sales soar with the arrival of thousands of tourists who all enjoy a refreshing cold drink of fruit juice! Throughout the year, the export trade is steady. 'Filfar' the local orange -flavoured liqueur is also produced during the winter months and uses the juice of 18 oranges for each bottle - with an annual production of 80,000 bottles, now that's a lot of oranges!

Housewives make the local speciality glyko from many different fruit, and in the winter months particularly from the peel of bitter oranges. Orange flower water is frequently used in Cyprus cooking to give a distinctive taste and appetising perfume to many desserts and biscuits. The water is distilled by local housewives from the fragrant blossom and added to the local specialities Katefyi, galetoboureko and the creamy rice pudding, Mahellepi. Cypriots know the value of eating plenty of oranges to keep winter colds at bay and it is said that they consume about 25 kilos per person each year. Orange juice is also used to treat a number of minor ailments including eye infections, rheumatism and diabetes.

For visitors to Cyprus in the winter months there is absolutely nothing better than a walk in the orange groves, and the wonderful smell of orange blossom that is all too often badly copied for household cleaners! There is also something very special about reaching up into one of the trees and gently picking a glistening orange and then enjoying its goodness in the winter sunshine - now that's a real taste of Cyprus!