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maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 19 MARCH 2014 News 5 JAMES J. PISCOPO FORMER prime minister and La- bour MEP candidate Alfred Sant called for a sustainable model of local farming, warning that the survival of this sector was under threat. Addressing an event where farm- ers met five MEP candidates, Sant quoted statistics which showed that employment in the agriculture sec- tor decreased by half during the past decade, and that nowadays the majority of employment was only restricted to part-time basis. "This is the grim reality. Local farmers are not adequately protect- ed to external factors such as over- stocking in European markets. Our MEPs need to fight – and that is the correct term – to have the Maltese reality acknowledged. The Europe- an model of 'one size fits all' is com- promising the sustainability of our local agriculture," Sant said. He added that a case in point was the fact that numerous stakeholders had to depend on EU subsidies in order for their operations to be fi- nancially viable. Sant remarked that if Maltese representatives merely regurgitated what the EU advocated without taking into consideration the Maltese reality, the "situation would worsen in the coming years". This position was shared by the other MEP candidates. PN's Ste- fano Mallia described the sector as "fragile" and promised that should he be elected, he would try and sit on the relevant EP committee of agriculture. His nationalist col- league Therese Comodini Cachia told farmers that the EU was "no magic key that would solve all your hardships" but could be seen as an important tool to address several obstacles. Labour's Mario Farrugia Borg rec- ognized farmers' daily difficulties and promised more contact with those who are hands-on before any decision was taken. Alternattiva Demokratika's Carmel Cacopardo remarked that agriculture had to be seen from a holistic perspective without ignoring several conse- quences of farming, focusing on the use and storage of water by farm- ers. Utility tariffs and energy benefits were among the main concerns of farmers and other stakeholders who attended the seminar. Those present also asked the candidates about their position on Geneti- cally Modified Organisms (GMOs) which was on the European agenda a few weeks ago. Other stakeholders mentioned difficulties in adopting organic farming methods and the collective need to reduce the use of pesticides on their products. Others com- plained about lack of contact with their elected representatives. "We are not asking much, we just want our representatives in Brus- sels to inform us what is happening there, even via e-mail, and we give them our position," a young farmer highlighted. MEUSAC chairman Vanni Xuer- eb also highlighted this need for regular contact between those in- volved in the sector and the newly elected MEPs, adding that farmers could not rely only on government aid. He told those present that de- spite Malta having only six MEPs, they could work for and inf luence future policies within their larger European Parties, noting that the Socialists, the EPP and the Greens were the largest in Brussels. The seminar was also addressed by Leonard Mizzi, who heads the directorate general for agricul- ture in the European Commission. Mizzi described the agricultural sector as "Malta's Cinderella in the economy," since although it has an important role to play it is often abandoned or not given enough at- tention. He said that from a Euro- barometer survey, it transpired that most of those involved were not familiar with relevant EU policies, and added that nowadays farmers had to have a long-term strategic vi- sion in order to be competitive and sustainable. "Farming is no longer a hobby, farmers should think from an en- trepreneurial point of view in order to ensure sustainability," Mizzi un- derlined. This notion was rebutted by Mario Salerno, who on behalf of the Malta Organic Movement said the first priority of the farmers was food safety and not increase in pro- ductivity, despite several challenges they had to face. JAMES J. PISCOPO TOURIST arrivals in 2013 registered a 9.6% increase when compared to the preceding year, a Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association survey conducted by Deloitte reveals. Guest nights increased by 8.7%, meaning an increase of more than 138,000 nights. 78% of the increase registered was achieved by hotel ac- commodation. In contrast with previous years, hotels took the bulk of tourist ar- rivals in the last quarter of the past year, which halted recent trends of growth by private accommodations. The results achieved show the tourism sector reaching national record levels, with the hotel indus- try recording the highest occupancy levels over the last five-year period, recovering from the dip experienced in 2009 due to the economic reces- sion. Total of guest nights now exceeded the one million mark per year, with hotels registering an average of 7.25 nights stay while private accommo- dation registering an average of 10.8 nights. The MHRA survey also shows that inbound tourists from the UK market slightly decreased. Other markets such as Italy, France and Russia maintained their levels, but a significant increase was registered by other non-EU countries. Between October and December 2013, occupancy in five-star hotels increased by almost 7% when com- pared to the corresponding period in 2012, while four- and three-star hotels saw an increase of 1.9% and 9.5% increase. "We only need the best brains to continue moving forward, irre- spective of their political beliefs," MHRA president Paul Bugeja said. The MHRA president added that the relaxation of height limit policy can give a positive contribution if it is managed well. The MHRA survey also goes in detail about staff expenditure. The average cost per employee in four- and five-star hotels remained steady during the past year, while three-star hotels registered a mar- ginal decrease. Overall increase in occupancy meant an increase in payroll, with five-star hotels increasing their payroll by slightly more than 4% while both four- and three-star hotels registering a 3.6% increase. Hotels also increased their staff per available room rate. Chris Demicoli from Smart Tech- nologies pointed out that free WiFi topped the tourists' wishes when it comes to technology offered by hotels. This follows other in-room technology and automated serv- ices. + BIRKIRKARA LOCAL COUNCIL 2nd Floor, Birkirkara Civic Centre, Tumas Fenech street, Birkirkara.BKR 2527 Tel: 21442626/21485041 Fax: 21442644 Email: birkirkara.lc@gov.mt The Mayor and Councillors of Birkirkara Local Council invite all the residents for the Annual Public Meeting which is to be held on Wednesday 2 nd April, 2014 at the Local Council Hall, Tumas Fenech Street, Birkirkara at 7.00 p.m. ARTHUR PIZZUTO Executive Secretary Public Annual Meeting 2013 sees 9.6% increase in tourist arrivals The results were announced yesterday during an MHRA conference at Corinthia Hotel, St Julian's Survival of local agriculture 'under threat' PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAY ATTARD From left: Stefano Mallia, Alfred Sant, Mario Farrugia Borg

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