The opposition’s main spokesman on agriculture and fisheries, Noel Farrugia, seems to have difficulty grasping the significance of the rural development plan the government negotiated with the EU, a statement issued by the Rural Affairs and Environment Ministry said yesterday.

The statement was issued in reaction to comments made by Mr Farrugia on Monday. The government’s plan for the sector, which covers the 2004-2006 period, includes a number of aid schemes through which farmers, so far, have been given Lm7,840,000, besides additional schemes on milk which will add up to some Lm760,000, the statement said. The large majority of the funds come from the EU.

With regard to the grading station – equipment for quality checks – the ministry reached an arrangement with the FCCS cooperative which founded the producers’ association and which has a grading station for the packaging of agricultural products.

On the other hand, the farmers’ association is also in the process of setting up a producers’ association which will be given a grading station to use on fresh produce. These developments, the statement said, show the level of trust farmers have in the direction government is giving this sector.

Furthermore, the ministry, together with the FCCS cooperative, has launched a programme by which costs for the members of the producers’ association and the consortium that will be running the pitkalija open market will be reduced.

With regard to the comments made on the cleanliness or lack of it of the fruit and vegetable boxes, the statement said that here the opposition spokesman shows that he is either completely detached from what is going on in the sector or else he is trying to alarm farmers and consumers. It is a fact that such boxes are washed and given to the farmers under the supervision of the Pitkali Crates Limited.

On the livestock sector,

especially with regard to poultry, the ministry said that during 2004 some 6,290,000 kilos of broiler meat was produced. With regard to the pork segment, during the first three months of this year over 1,900 pigs were slaughtered.

What the opposition spokesman failed to point out, the statement emphasised, is that during 2004 farmers producing poultry meat were given over Lm250,000 in subsidies along with the Lm1.5million given to pork producers.

Concluding, the ministry pointed out that on top of these aid schemes, the ministry is working on a campaign promoting the use of fresh Maltese goods. The market has been liberalised and consumers now have a wider choice. However, Maltese people seem to be placing their trust on Maltese products.