In reference to allegations by the press (not The Malta Independent) that Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Ninu Zammit misled farmers when he sent them a letter on 17 March 2003, the Minister, together with parliamentary secretary Frans Agius, issued the following press statement:

The letter sent by Mr Zammit stated that, “As a full-time or part-time farmer, you (the farmer) will benefit from financial aid of Lm77 million as well as enjoy benefits through the EU-Maltese Rural Development Programme that allocates Lm6.5 million for farmers every year.”

The statement pointed out that a leaflet recently published by the Parliamentary Secretariat for Agriculture and Fisheries shows figures for subsidies being given on sales of products at the official vegetable market (pitkalija).

Therefore, the figures published in the leaflet amount to only a part of the figures mentioned by the minister in the March 2003 letter, which referred to the agreement known as the Special Market Policy Programme for Maltese Agriculture and the Plan for Rural Development, the statement said.