People who shop at Lidl in Malta will now be able to buy local vegetables.

Starting from Thursday, Lidl customers can buy cauliflower, carrots, and onions that were grown by Maltese farmers.

The Farmer Central Cooperative Society (FCCS) – which sells products of Maltese farmers – is now selling local produce to Lidl, following discussions over the past 18 months.

A video by the FCC shows crates of Maltese vegetables labelled as Maltese Products (Prodott ta' Malta) ready to be put on Lidl's shelves.

President of Għaqda Bdiewa Attivi Malcolm Borg said he acted as the main negotiator on behalf of the producers in this deal.

Borg told Times of Malta he has been proposing this idea for a while, but proper discussions only began around a year and a half ago.

“Unfortunately, since Lidl and other major supermarkets opened, local farmers lost a lot of business,” Borg said, adding that many Maltese people no longer purchased local products since they were not found in major supermarkets.

Borg hailed the initiative as a great feat considering Lidl is a huge international player. 

He said discussions to add more quality local products to Lidl's stock were ongoing.

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