MaltaToday previous editions

NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 9 SEPTEMBER 2020 Farmers worried about crops weathering irregular rainfall NICOLE MEILAK THE week's brief thunderstorm marked the close of an arid summer without the usual Santa Maria rain- fall. But as Malta moves into the au- tumn, a heavier than normal rainfall in the coming weeks may spell disas- ter for Malta's food crops. Jeanette Borg, the founder of the Malta Youth in Agriculture Foun- dation, said Malta's irregular rainfall was becoming problematic for farm- ers like her. "We're surrounded by sea water, so we depend a lot on fresh rainfall for our crops. There have also been studies at university showing the impact of our changing weather pat- terns and their effect on local crops." While the impact on fruit and veg- etables is the more obvious of these effects, heavy rainfall on crops is a problem that branches out into other agricultural sectors. Grass and wheat fodder, the food- stuff grown primarily to feed live- stock, is primarily a rain-fed crop which Borg said supports Malta's dairy industry and cattle. "If our fodder crops fail due to irreg- ular rainfall, we'll have to import the crops ourselves, adding even more costs to the process," she warned. And irregular rainfall is not just a matter of long spans of drought. Malcolm Borg, from Għaqda Bdie- wa Attivi, says that while the usual showers in September generally have a positive impact on local crops, flash floods can cause major issues during the warmer months. "The high levels of humidity, aggra- vated by heavy rainfall, can lead to serious fungal diseases among crops. This has to be treated promptly by farmers, only adding to their expens- es," Borg said. Farmers aren't worrying just yet – fungal disease becomes a real threat only in the events of flash foods. Un- less there is particularly heavy rain- fall this week, which is unlikely to be the case, Malta's local crops will weather the storms. Jeanette Borg, founder of the Malta Youth in Agriculture Foundation

• 1-9
• 10-16