- A revision to the farmer categorisation regulations will be published this week in order to enhance efficiency in procedures and provide better assistance to farmers.
- Work on the Farmers’ Market in Ta’ Qali will begin next September.
The Government will be publishing amendments to the regulations on the categorisation of farmers and ranchers that were introduced in 2024. These regulations will help the Government to best assist different categories of farmers, especially those farmers who produce the most and whose livelihood depends on agriculture.
Dr Abela said this while discussing various topics with members of the Agricultural Advisory Council in Buskett. He pointed out that the updates approved by the Cabinet will continue to improve the legal framework in force, simplify procedures and introduce a fairer system for farmers tailored according to their income level. Thus, agricultural activity will no longer be based solely on the size of the agricultural enterprise but on the actual and declared income of the farmer.
The Prime Minister also announced that work on the Farmers’ Market in Ta’ Qali will begin next September. He said that this project is a measure of the Government’s electoral program. The aim of this project is to provide equipped facilities for farmers, herders and fishermen and give them more direct sales opportunities. On the other hand, the consumer will have access to a wider selection of fresh, nutritious and affordable daily products.
While listening to the ideas and suggestions of the representatives of farmers and ranchers, the Prime Minister said that such initiatives strengthen the food supply, preserve the agricultural heritage and protect the rural environment of our country. He mentioned that although these benefits are important, the Government will remain focused on strengthening the resilience of the sector and improving the income of farmers and ranchers.
“Part of the satisfaction I feel over the years I have been Prime Minister is the number of reforms we have carried out and the support we have given so that this sector remains viable, including the comprehensive reform of agricultural land, the modernisation of the Public Slaughterhouse and the reform of the Pitkalija,” said the Prime Minister.
He also mentioned a number of other initiatives that have been undertaken in the sector, including the expansion of the new water system, schemes launched to improve access to agricultural land, schemes to modernise agricultural and farm machinery and support for farmers and ranchers to cope with the increase in the prices of imported products.
Here, the Prime Minister referred to the increase in sales of vegetables and fruit from Pitkalija, which rose from €21 million in 2021 to almost €28 million in 2025. He said that this work will continue to be strengthened through a new digital system at Pitkalija, the use of more modern containers and investment in the facilities themselves.
Also present at the meeting was the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Supply Anton Refalo. He announced that the Government will be implementing another measure from the electoral programme as an awareness campaign on the cultivation of olive trees and the production of olives and olive oil will be launched in the coming weeks.
“This measure is linked to the work we are doing to give official recognition to the endemic Maltese Bidni olive variety and the oil produced from it as a Product of Designation of Origin (PDO)”, said Minister Refalo.
Before the meeting with the Advisory Council, Prime Minister Robert Abela visited the Viticulture Centre, in Buskett itself. Prime Minister Robert Abela said that the viticulture sector is important as a showcase for local agriculture, with a fair profit potential. “For us, wine production is an important tourist niche and in this legislature we will see to the completion of the Wine Museum in Żebbuġ, Gozo and we will see to the opening of the Buskett Viticulture Centre where we are today.” He continued by saying that the Government is also looking at the potential of wine-related tourism.
Prime Minister Robert Abela reaffirmed that the Government’s vision in agriculture is that of transformation towards a model that prioritizes added value, so that the sector moves from traditional production to innovative methods while creating integrated rural development from isolated initiatives. “You will continue to have an effective and lively dialogue with us as Government, with the Minister and Permanent Secretary responsible, and their staff – and whenever necessary with me as well. This is the type of honest and genuine relationship that we have built in recent years and on which the success of our country’s agriculture depends,” concluded Dr Abela.
Photos: OPM/DOI
