Three steps to save our farmers - Peter Agius

After tasty, healthy and possibly meaty, my criteria in food usually involves also ‘local’. I believe that most of us actually prefer to eat local. This is not just a matter of reaping the benna of one’s own land, but is also a part of our being responsible citizens of the world, with a smaller impact on our environment. 

Yet, while most of us will hold said rationale, local consumption is decreasing year on year, eaten up by foreign import of vegetables, fruits and increasingly, meat. Ironically, while our population increased about 14 per cent, trade at the pitkalija (vegetable market) for the same period went down by 20 per cent in Malta and 35 per cent in Gozo. 

The situation of the Maltese farmer is not just a matter of concern for him and his kin. It is bad news for all of us given that no local farming means no food security, no supplies of proximity in case of importation problems linked to health or phytosanitary crises, not to mention the supply risks for our tourism industry. Farming may be two per cent of our GDP today, but in crisis situations it may become the life-saver for 100 per cent of the population.

This is, therefore, a matter of national importance...