At Mtarfa, the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights, Anton Refalo, together with the Directorate of Agriculture, officially opened the grape harvesting season.
He praised the farmers for their work and reminded how much this sector has strengthened in recent years. In Malta and Gozo there are about 460 hectares of vineyards, most of which are for wine production, all of which are registered with the Directorate of Agriculture. The Minister stressed the importance of the Maltese and Gozitan people recognizing the work involved after production until we finally have a high quality local product. The Ministry recognizes this process and knows how much work it involves, both farmers and watchmen.
The work of the Directorate of Agriculture has a responsibility to monitor and certify the production process. Today, we have 19 pressing and 11 producers of DOK and IGT quality wine, where 90 percent of this wine is grown in our country.
The Director for the Directorate of Agriculture, Savior Debono Grech, also spoke. He said that over 800 part-time and full-time farmers registered with the Directorate who grow vines and that in most of these vineyards the grapes grown are exclusively for wine, while also giving information on the different grape varieties that are here locally.
Minister Refalo ended his speech by saying how high and satisfactory this Maltese agricultural sector is, has a direct link with the Maltese and Gozitan territory, and that we must not forget that this product is highly sought after by tourists. visiting the Maltese islands. Thanks to the wisdom and dedication of the farmers and the work of the Ministry, the quality is also recognized by the European Union, which continues to raise the Maltese agricultural sector internationally.
