On the second weekend of May, the government is planning a National Wine Festival, in collaboration with local producers and growers, said yesterday Rural Affairs and Environment Minister George Pullicino while speaking to members of the Maltese Viticulture Society.
The minister said government will also set up a wine shop at its former winery in Buskett which will serve as a permanent showcase for local wines. While government will finance the setting up of the shop, wine producers will be expected to foot the bill of the running costs, stated the minister.
Although there are a number of farmers’ associations, no one was specifically dedicated to vine-growing. This great void has finally been filled by the Maltese Viticulture Society, said Minister Pullicino.
In December, the society joined the Malta Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises (GRTU). Director general Vince Farrugia said farmers did well in choosing GRTU, as it represents 7,000 other small entrepreneurs. He called on the members to strengthen the industry as a whole. He appealed to them to remain united in order to better safeguard their interests.
The society’s president Stephen Galea stressed on the importance of quality rather than quantity. He also thanked Marsovin, Camilleri Winery and Meridiana for their support to the society, while he referred to the recent revision of contracts called for by Emmanuel Delicata Winemaker.
Speaking about this issue, Minister Pullicino said there is little the government can do over this purely commercial matter. However, he assured the society that the government is doing its utmost in order to find a solution for the problem. He emphasised that the other three local producers are upholding their commitments.
During EU accession negotiations, Mr Pullicino said Malta had insisted that it should be given the opportunity to expand its operations in the viticulture sphere. Consequently, he said, the land utilised for growing vines has increased from 250 to 600 hectares in 2003 and today its stands at over 900 hectares. Production itself has risen greatly as in 2005, 1,500 tons of grapes pressed while over 3,000 tons were pressed in the following year.
Mr Pullicino explained that the sector has to date received Lm862,000 in aid, out of which only Lm114,000 was given by the EU. He promised the assembled farmers that government will be distributing the additional aid on vine refunds for 2005 – amounting to Lm100,000 – in the first week of March, while the 2006 refund of Lm154,000 will be distributed in the third week of March.
According to the minister, the leap was made thanks to three players: the first being the farmers themselves who realised that there was the need to step up, and they did, then there were the wine producers who established contracts with farmers and are honouring them, and then came the consumers who perceived the importance of the Maltese product.
As regards the future, Minister Pullicino said by next March or April, the country should have its own DOK production protocol which will increase the controlling quality standards declared on wine labels. The minister appealed for parties involved to reach a unanimous decision over the issue. A decision should be reached even without unanimity, said the minister. The introduction of the DOK will increase the quality of locally produced wine and increase the chances of it being exported successfully.
Minister Pullicino said government is committed to help in marketing the local DOK wines. To this end, government is going to slash the subsidy given to wine producers on imported grapes and will finance the marketing campaign through the money gained by the wavering of the subsidy.