Costs for farmers, fishermen, rising

The opposition spokesman for agriculture and fisheries, Noel Farrugia yesterday complained that costs for farmers and fishermen were rising fasts, making it more difficult for them to become competitive.

Early in his speech, Mr Farrugia said farmers and fishermen were seeing their outlay rise and income decrease. Farmers would have to pay more for their power, water and kerosene. As from next year they would have to pay their national insurance contribution in full. Fishermen declaring an income of Lm4,000 would have to pay additional insurance of Lm300 a year, those declaring Lm6,000 would have to pay an additional Lm450 a year.

What had become of the commission on fish catches and the promised insurance?

Full and part-time fishing licences were also going up. All new boats were to start being taxed a registration tax ranging from Lm200 and Lm3,000.

Would the minister explain delays in the payment of subsidies and why a meeting requested by the Fishermen's Cooperative had not been held yet?

Mr Farrugia said a majority of farmers and fishermen were complaining that they were not being given all the duty free diesel they needed.

Furthermore, the cold rooms at the fishmarket were in the worst state they have ever been in the past 20 years. When would they be brought up to EU standards?

The government had the duty to safeguard the conservation of fish. So why was the country permitting dumping from boats and bunkering in the 25 mile fisheries zone?

Mr Farrugia said the government should improve facilities for rainwater storage for use by farmers. But the government was creating a situation where farmers would instead be getting second class water with high nitrate levels, reducing the shelf life of the produce and putting off clients.

Malta should also seek more EU funds for the rehabilitation of valleys, such as Wied Qlejja, where storm water could be stored. But in such rehabilitation projects it was important that rubble walls, not concrete or franca were used. Rubble walls were more tradition, more environmentally pleasing, and better to prevent soil erosion.

The statistics department had confirmed that sales of fruit and vegetables had continued to fall. This department also confirmed that the price of production was going up. Even the price of exported potatoes was expected to fall.

Mr Farrugia said the micro-propagation centre was a farce. This was an investment which had been taking hundreds of thousands of Maltese liri for years, it was equipped with the most advanced technology but the centre was now producing diseased trees and plants. An inquiry was clearly needed.

Mr Farrugia said costs for the poultry industry had exploded due to the increase in the cost of kerosene. How could this industry be expected to be competitive?

It was a fact that the pig breeding industry was also in crisis and the quota of animals to be slaughtered was not being reached owing to weak sales. What was the government doing to improve the situation?

On the slaughterhouse, Mr Farrugia observed that the financial estimates projected an increase in revenue. Would this mean higher tariffs? Could the government confirm that there was adequate funding for the required tests. The incinerator at the slaughterhouse was a hazard to workers and the neighbours. An application for a new incinerator submitted to Mepa in 2003 had not yet been approved.

The Labour MP said that in virtue of EU membership, Malta was in a situation where the government had raised levies on several products that the country did not produce and removed levies on items produced locally, to the detriment of farmers.

Consumers were paying between €2 and €3 per kilo on products on which there had previously no levies. The cost of sugar had gone up steeply and had to be absorbed by the country.

While the people had saved Lm5 million in levies, millions were being forked out on subsidies for EU produced goods which Malta could never produce.

And the price of some fruit and vegetables had gone down, that of others, such as banana, had gone up.