Up till October 2003, the organic farming sector in Malta consisted of a group of farmers who were claiming to be using methods of organic production. No certification was available then. There was no national legislation, and few people knew what organic farming meant. There was no institutional framework that enabled the backing of the sector.
Organic farmers were pretty much on their own, and most did not know the details and methods of production laid down in EC Reg 2092/91. Nevertheless a few shops did sell organic products, mostly being of foreign origin. Most were found in supermarkets, but even the supermarkets did not understand what organic products were, and most marketed them in the health sections as diet products.
The government was proactive in this innovative market. In October 2003, a unit dedicated to organic farming was set up within the Agricultural Services and Rural Development Division following recommendations by two Italian experts on organic farming, Dr Damiano Petruzzella and Dr Vincenzo Verrastro, from the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari. Being a governmental entity, the unit was to become the national competent authority for Malta upon membership of the EU. It was charged with organising and promoting the sector, and setting up the infrastructure which would make organic farming in the Maltese islands feasible.
Since its set-up, the Organic Farming Unit has written and published the national legislation for organic farming which also transposed the EU regulation on organic farming (EEC Reg 2092/91) upon Malta's entry into the EU. The unit has also been working on promoting organic farming, in particular with farmers and producers.
Several farmers producing vegetables organically were contacted and a registry made with details on their methods of production, land surface and date of conversion. The unit also promoted organic farming through the organisation of a seminar aimed at importers, and through several radio interviews, TV news clips, and several newspaper articles. An exhibition of organic products was also organised at three fairs this summer, including the annual horticultural fair at San Anton in May, the trade fair at Naxxar in June/July, and the Agricultural and Traditional Industries Fair at Gozo on Santa Marija. The fair at San Anton even included a competition of organic products organised for the first time to give the farmers a playground where they could exhibit their products.
There are 20 farmers registered as organic producers with the Organic Farming Unit, with a total of about 159 tumoli or 14.45 hectares of land. None of it is certified since certification is not yet applied in Malta. The total land surface has increased from the 3.2 hectares recorded in October 2003 (Petruzzella and Verrastro, 2003). At least 15 more are interested, but they are waiting to evaluate the success of the certification scheme.
Unfortunately, the market is still not well organised. Most growers sell their products at the vegetable market (pitkalija) with other conventionally grown vegetables. There still is no price differentiation as yet, since certification is not yet fully operational. Some supermarkets have already started selling these products, however, we are expecting a rise in the amount and distribution of sales in the next few months, once the first fully certified and labelled fruit and vegetables become available.
Several hotels have also been contacted, and some are also interested in the idea of marketing some organic products and dishes, however, they are also waiting until more produce becomes available.
A new legal notice (LN237/2004), also known as the Organic Farming Regulations, was published on April 30, 2004 in order to transpose the EU Regulation on Organic Farming (2092/91). The Maltese legislation declares the competent authority on organic farming as the Agricultural Services and Rural Development Division, within the Ministry for Rural Affairs and the Environment. The legal notice will also have an annex which lists the inspection bodies which can operate in Malta.
Since May, the Maltese government has also been taking part in high level talks in Brussels on the future of organic agriculture in Europe. Some proposals have already been put forward by the Ministry for Rural Affairs and the Environment. Currently, ministry officials are being involved in negotiations with the council and commission, to approve the European Action Plan on organic farming, which was recently presented by the commission itself.
Certification is currently being undertaken by the Malta Standards Authority (MSA), which is a parastatal organisation. The first certified organic farmers are expected to be approved in the coming months.
The MSA will operate on a basis that will keep costs as low as possible. Their inspectors have been trained abroad through the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari on a project of collaboration between the latter and the Ministry for Rural Affairs and the Environment.
The government is backing the sector both through financial aid and through high level consultations with farmers and NGOs concerning organic farming. Farmers are being given €600 per hectare of land which is certified as being cultivated with organic methods of production. This money is part of the aid given to farmers through the Rural Development Plan, RDP 2004-2006 approved by the European Union.
The government also set up an Organic Farming Committee whose aim is the setting up of a strategy for organic farming in the Maltese islands. The committee is made up of various NGOs involved in organic farming in Malta, the Consumer Affairs Division which represents the consumers' rights, the Malta Standards Authority which represents the body responsible for certification of organic products, and the Agricultural Services and Rural Development Division which will act as the authority which will be responsible for regulating the EU legislation on organic farming.
After several meetings, the committee presented a report with various comments on ways of pushing the sector forward, and highlighting deficiencies in the sector which need to be seen to. These comments have served as the basis for setting up a Strategy for the Promotion of Organic Farming in Malta. The national strategy, or action plan for organic farming for the Maltese islands, has been recently approved and will be launched soon. An advisory board (previously being the Organic Farming Committee), is being set up to help the Ministry for Rural Affairs and the Environment enact this plan.
In the meantime, the Genista Foundation is part of another EU project whose aim is to study the situation of organic farming in the various European countries, and to collect as much information as possible on practices used in each country. This will be used to prepare a manual of techniques used in organic farming all over Europe.
About half of the organic producers sell their products at the vegetable market. The other half sell them door to door or directly to a store or shop. This is done to avoid selling through a third person and losing on profits. However, once certification is applied they will be able to sell their products at a better price, as long as they have a certificate from a recognised inspection body.
Supermarkets currently have few organic products, one of which being a local processed product. No fresh products are available except in one supermarket, which imports them from abroad. Some of the larger supermarkets are interested in selling organic products.
Exportation of local organic products is as yet non-existent. The closest we come to this is through selling organic olive oil at the duty-free section at the Malta International Airport. Interest was shown by a German company to export organic products.
Notwithstanding the fact that imported organic products are available at supermarkets, statistics for that particular sector are not yet kept. The main countries of import are Italy, the UK and Germany. Organic products from other European countries such as Greece, Spain, Ireland, Netherlands and Sweden can also be found.
Some theses and dissertations on organic farming have been done in the past few years as part fulfilment of diplomas and degrees pertaining consecutively to the Institute of Agriculture and the Department of Geography. Other research has been done through the Agricultural Research and Development Centre belonging to the government. The latter has done several experiments and trials on organic products.
Training is also being organised by the AgriBusiness Institute as part of a Leonardo project. Courses will be given to farmers and inspectors on various aspects of organic farming. Government staff are also being trained through overseas courses and seminars funded by the EU and other international organisations such as CIHEAM.
The Organic Farming Unit has also organised a seminar aimed at disseminating information to importers of organic products. A website has also been set up to provide valuable information on organic farming and various aspects of production. A seminar will also be held for farmers with the aim of teaching them the methods of production allowed by EU Regulation 2092/91.
Finally, staff from the Organic Farming Unit have been visiting the individual farmers to help them to learn the methods involved in organic farming. The farmers are also being given advice as to what can and cannot be done in the sector, and on how to market their product upon receiving certification. If anyone is interested in converting to organic methods of agriculture, they could contact the same unit on 2590 4168 or visit the website.
Dr Francis Agius is Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture and Fisheries www.agric.gov.mt