Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1495215
7 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 19 MARCH 2023 POSTS FOR LEGAL PROCURATOR WITH THE OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL (Jobsplus Vacancy No. 390898, Permit Nos. 620/2022) The Office of the Attorney General Agency is inviting applications for Legal Procurators. The selected candidates will be employed on a full-time indefinite term basis, subject to a probation period, and will be required to work for a minimum of forty hours per week. Applicants must be in possession of a warrant to practice the profession of Legal Procurator. ___________________________________________________________________________ Applications must quote relevant Jobsplus Vacancy Reference, include a detailed CV, and should be addressed to: The Administration Office of the Attorney General, No. 53, Admiralty House, South Street, Valletta VLT 1101 or emailed to ag@attorneygeneral.mt and should be submitted by not later than Thursday 6 th April 2023. POSTIJIET TA' PROKURATURI LEGALI FL-UFFIĊĊJU TAL-AVUKAT ĠENERALI (Jobsplus Vacancy No. 390898, Permit Nos. 620/2022) MATTHEW VELLA MALTA is registering its high- est annual inflation rates in food and non-alcoholic beverages, as it records its steepest yet in- crease in inflation in over 15 years. Price inflation exploded in 2022 due to the effects of the Russian invasion in Ukraine, with the post-pandemic recov- ery suddenly stifled by the ris- ing cost of wheat and agricul- tural goods, as well as paper. Data from the National Sta- tistics Office shows that Mal- ta's inflation rate exploded from 2021 to 2022, to well over 6% in one year. in February 2023, the high- est annual price inflation rates were recorded in food and non-alcoholic beverages were of 13.2%, and then in housing, water and energy (9.1%). According to the NSO, the largest upward impact on food is due to the higher prices of meat; the Central Bank's quar- terly review said it was dairy products. Eurostat found the food categories where the most significant rises were regis- tered in EU countries were fresh whole milk, eggs, sugar, oil and fats, butter and other edible oils, ranging from 30.2 per cent to 56.6 per cent on average. Prices were already rising in the post-pandemic recovery of 2021, shooting up the year after with the Russian invasion. It is the price of unprocessed foods that is the sub-compo- nent in Malta's inflation index with the highest price increases – over 5% each month through- out since October 2021, and entering double-digit territory from December 2021 onwards. The Central Bank's own anal- ysis also found that prices at restaurants and cafés rose by 10.5% in September 2022, up from a 9.5% increase back in June. Yet despite the continued awareness of higher food prices, the Central Bank's latest quar- terly review also found that the strongest increase in individual consumption was on restau- rants and acommodation ser- vices, suggesting a continued appetite for such recreation de- spite increased food prices. Inflation in the European Un- ion trebled in 2022 compared to the 2021 annual figures, clocking the highest growth rate ever. But while the EU's re- cord inflation figures are linked to the rise in energy prices – a direct consequence of the Rus- sian invasion of Ukraine. However household infla- tion in Malta has stayed below that recorded in the euro area, mainly diverging due to subsi- dised energy prices in Malta. According to the Central Bank's outlook for the euro ar- ea, food inflation is expected to start moderating later in 2023, as pipeline pressures from past increases in several commodity prices are set to subside. Why food prices remain high The war in Ukraine and the pandemic before it shot up food inflation: a case in point was the initial blockage in ports to grains from Ukraine, which depends on agriculture for 11% of its economy, that was relieved by the Black Sea grain deal – now set to expire – and sanctions on Russian wheat, corn and other grains. Ukraine and Russia are major exporters of wheat, maize, bar- ley, and sunflower seeds and oils, and before February 2022, Ukraine used to ship most of its food exports through the Black Sea. Russia and Belarus are also major fertilizer exporters, es- pecially to the Middle East and Africa. The Black Sea grain deal with Turkey allowed the ports to reopen to Europe and Africa, which solved availability prob- lems, but basic foodstuffs are still very expensive. The reality is that oil and gas prices, also higher due to the war, are still high, and these have driven up the pric- es for fertiliser, and fuel for farm equipment, as well as the logistics of food trans- portation. They are especially high considering that the 2021 post-pandemic recovery was struggling to meet supply chal- lenges to the sudden spike in consumer demand. Extreme weather events driv- en by climate change add a third variable. For islands like Malta, where a certain portion of foodstuffs are imported, the costs of fuel and energy, and transporta- tion, are major drivers of food costs. Inflation rates explode with rise in food prices