Potato exports yield Lm1.3m

Potato growers this year registered a record Lm1,282,502 from exports to Holland, the Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture and Fisheries, Francis Agius, announced yesterday.

That amount was Lm611,384 more than that received last year.

Dr Agius said that owing to liberalisation all the money went into the pockets of the growers who were paid directly when they took their product for grading.

"This was a new reality and in contrast with claims that with liberalisation agriculture would die a natural death," Dr Agius said.

He added that since Malta was an EU member, growers were no longer faced with quotas and were free to export unlimited varieties and amounts to European countries.

He said that as from next year exporters will be obliged to export under the conditions of the Europgap certification system. Only those having the certification would be able to export, he said. Grading stations would be up to standards set by the Europgap protocol.

Dr Agius noted that liberalisation had also opened the doors to new markets within the EU although the main market for potato exports would remain that of Holland. Other promising markets included Switzerland, Denmark and Germany, he said.

Dr Agius referred to the situation in agriculture now that local products had to face competition as a result of liberalisation. The worst thing one can do was to panic in regard to prices, he said, adding that the government's message to farmers was to take the reforms in their stride, heed advice and not fear competition.

Dr Agius said the government was in continuous contact with producers and with the importers of fresh vegetables and fruit and was monitoring imports to ensure that agriculture, or any particular sector, would not suffer irreparable damage.

Turning to the planned reforms at the Pitkali vegetable market in Ta' Qali, he said these would include the grading of local produce. Tenders have already been issued for grading equipment.

A consortium consisting of people involved in the Pitkali, including farmers and middlemen, is being set up to run the Pitkali. The government would hold 51 per cent of shareholding in the consortium.

Philip von Brockdorff, permanent secretary at the ministry, said that if farmers gave up their trade, they would create a vacuum for importers.

Individuals in Malta had written to the EU Commission complaining about the monitoring of imports, claiming this was a form of border control and was creating confusion, he said.

Dr von Brockdorff said the government, as a last resort, could put into motion a safeguard clause in Malta's EU accession treaty if imports were found to threaten a particular agricultural sector.