Benna factory to get a new home in Ħal Farruġ, ministry promises
The Ħamrun site that currently houses Malta Dairy Products has long been slated for open space
The government has allocated Ħal Farruġ land for a new milk factory, the agriculture ministry said.
The new dairy products processing facility, which is yet to be built will eventually replace the Ħamrun site that currently houses Malta Dairy Products Ltd, the company responsible for Benna.
While the Ħal-Farrug site is under construction, the agricultutre ministry promised it will continue extending the lease for the currrent site in Ħamrun.
Agriculture minister Anton Refalo said the project is a crucial step for a milk sector that is more modern, competitive and sustainable.
The Labour Party had promised to close down the factory’s current site, pledging the area as one of five urban areas to be converted into a large open space in the run-up to the 2022 general election.
Two years ago the environment ministry said plans to convert the site of a Ħamrun milk factory into a public garden are still in the works but depend on when the factory moves to a new site, according to an environment ministry spokesperson.
PL candidate Nigel Vella who has been calling for the closure of the factory for a while, said he was happy “that the first step has been made becomes an open space for our community”.