Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1170309
17 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 22 SEPTEMBER 2019 INTERVIEW 'raba frank'... which means the owner/farmer has full rights over the land. This is of course the safest form of tenureship… but nowadays, it's become a very expensive way to go! But whatever the form of tenure- ship, some landowners – who are not farmers – are becom- ing eager to put their land where the money is. They have properties in rural areas which they now want to exploit in a way that is more profitable... so they are either increasing the rent to farmers, or just asking them to leave. Quite a number of genuine farmers are going through this sad situation: especially those surrounding derelict struc- tures/farmhouses which can potentially be converted into luxury dwellings. Other ten- ureship problems have also been created, albeit indirectly, by EU funding schemes: like one particular agri-environ- mental measure funded by EAFRD. Land-owners soon realised that their tenant farm- ers were paying less rent, when compared to the funds avail- able under this measure. So those farmers who did not have a long-term legal contract with the land owner, signed by a notary, were politely asked to 'let go'. Obviously, this was not the intention behind making those funds available – ironi- cally, the scope of this scheme was to preserve agricultural land, and certainly not to evict farmers. So I think that EU agricultural funds need to be developed with more care, in such a way as to avoid such situations that are to the detri- ment of genuine farmers. Could it also be, however, that agriculture is simply not a profitable venture in this day and age? Is it even possible to make a career out of agriculture in Malta: especially if you do not own any land? This is the crux of the en- tire matter: those situations I just described, arise mainly because farmers do not make enough profits to afford higher rents. It's an indication that agriculture, in its present form, is not profitable enough for some. And ultimately, farming is a business like any other. In business, if you're not profit- able, you close down. Now: I'm not saying that lo- cal agriculture should 'close down'. I'm saying the opposite, in fact: Malta cannot afford to lose its agriculture sector. Farmers are our unsung he- roes, at the end of the day. Yet no one seems to give them any credit. Recently, for example, there was a news item about the inauguration of the 'Gnien L-Gharusa Tal-Mosta' [where this interview took place]. Everyone talked about what a beautiful view it is from here: you can see all of Burmarrad. But who is contributing to that view? You and I? Certainly not. It is the farmers who are till- ing the land, growing vines, and keeping the rubble walls in place. If we lose them, we will lose all that, too. Admit- tedly, however, their job is not giving them enough in the way of financial return. But surely, the answer to that is to revamp the entire sector, in a way that it becomes more profitable… Easier said than done, though, isn't it? Local farmers now have to face competition from other European markets… not to mention the proliferation of large international supermarket chains, which import foodstuff in bulk. Foreign produce is now being sold everywhere… with supermarkets even offering 'bajtar tax-xewk' (prickly pear) from Sicily. Are Maltese farmers facing an impossible battle? The problem with the EU is that we were unprepared when we joined. No question about it. Before EU accession, Mal- tese farmers were protected by a system of levies: imported olive oil, for example, was sub- ject to a tax which was prohibi- tive enough for local importers to decide to sell those products elsewhere. But when we joined the sin- gle market, everyone was sud- denly free to import whatever they liked: including all types of agricultural products, all at much lower prices. It was like being taken to Alaska, wearing only a T-shirt and shorts. Lo- cal agriculture experienced a shock. But if, five years before join- ing, Maltese farmers were told the truth about accession – for example, that to compete with imported goods, your products have to stand out – it might have been a different story. At the same time, however, some of these effects have been self-inflicted. 'Making your product stand out' can only be achieved through marketing… and this is something local farmers have been denying and resisting for years. Many still argue that 'marketing doesn't work'. But it does work… and Mal- tese products do need to be marketed better, if they hope to compete in a liberalised market. Can local produce realistically compete, though? Is Malta's fruit and veg of a high enough standard to hold its own against imported products from Italy, France, Spain…? I see no reason why Maltese products should not succeed, if properly marketed. Let's face it: our fresh fruit and veg- etables are not just 'good'; they are second to none. But we have to get the mes- sage out there. Another thing we have to put behind us, is this attitude that there is no real demand for local produce. I don't know where people get this idea from. Currently, we are importing 80% of our food- stuff from overseas. So very clearly, there is a local demand for agricultural products. Something does not tally in this equation: if we manage to sell other country's products… why can't we sell our own? The truth is that we can. But it can only be done by placing your products at the right locations; you have to pay a little extra, to get your products promi- nently placed on supermarket shelves; you have to pitch it to the right market segment, and so on. Above all, however, farmers need to stop expecting that a system which is not giving them the fair worth of their product, will change by itself. Like the Pitkalija, for example. I'm not saying there aren't as- pects of this system that need to be changed: or that there isn't serious fraud in our sys- tem that needs to be investi- gated, either. But these are jobs that have to be done by the authorities. Only institutions like the po- lice can investigate such mat- ters. But instead of complain- ing about an unfair system… what are we doing, ourselves, to change it? To be fair, there are already farmers who have stopped depending on Pitka- lija: such as those at Farmers Markets, or who sell directly to the end-client. Some farmers are middlemen themselves, as they sell their neighbour's product, or need to satisfy a client by procur- ing a specific product from an- other producer. There is noth- ing wrong with that. What is wrong is complaining about a system in which you don't fit. It is useless trying to stop some- one else's business, because it doesn't suit you. Instead, farm- ers need to find other ways to sell their product. They need to change their own modus operandi... team up with other small-scale farmers, and sell as a group. They should stand- ardise, brand, and sell their products to clients who are willing to pay a decent price. In a nutshell: our agricultural sec- tor has to wake up and face re- ality. il-Ghasel… PHOTOGRAPHY JAMES BIANCHI