A number of benefactors have come together to replace olive trees stolen from teenage farmer Jayden Scicluna, whose grove was uprooted from his father’s Mellieħa field on Thursday.
Barely 24 hours since vandals tore through the family’s plot of arable land and made off with 11 freshly planted olive trees, Infrastructure Malta officials met Jayden, his brother Jake and their father Joseph to immediately replace them.
Following intervention by the Mellieħa local council, NGO Għaqda Siġar Maltin also agreed to donate more trees, while a private benefactor has offered a further 24 to support Jayden’s cause.
Jayden, 14, who has ADHD, said he was overwhelmed at the outpouring of support from the community.
“I want to be a full-time farmer, so I’m studying and learning to do things the right way when I’m older,” he said.
“I was sad when I discovered that someone had stolen my olive trees. Instead of thanking me for the hard work and effort I put into this place, they stole from me.
I want to be a full-time farmer so I’m studying to do things the right way
“But I’m thankful for the response we’ve got and for so many people to treat me with such kindness and respect,” he said.
Despite his ordeal, Jayden isn’t discouraged from pursuing his passion.
“There’s nothing more beautiful in life than being able to work out in the fields and provide people with fresh produce,” he said.
“Next year I intend to plant strawberries, which are a little harder to maintain they say. I will have garlic and beans, and my olive tree of course,” he added.
On Thursday, his father had said issues over his fields had arisen since the hunters’ federation took over the running of the area, and this was not the first time they had experienced vandalism.
In a statement, the federation, FKNK, yesterday condemned the vandalism but added safeguards should be in place to make sure that the law is being observed by all parties.
“While every farmer can register land with the agriculture department, it does not give anyone the legal right to plant trees and erect CCTV to prevent access to the land, as it appears to have transpired on this land that is found on an FKNK reserve in Aħrax,” the federation said.
Scicluna denies having restricted access to the land, saying minor and non-invasive structures he had installed were there to protect the produce.
Scicluna built a foot-high perimeter around the area where he plants crops with his sons and installed a small gate, that is not secured to the ground, to prevent cars from trampling the land.
“I have never prevented anyone from enjoying this space, I simply put in a perimeter to prevent the plants from being trampled or run over by cars,” Sciculuna said.
“I often find children playing in my field, sometimes campers and hikers, and even the odd hunter. They are all welcome here provided that we respect each other.”