The mounting worldwide crisis in agriculture seems to be pointing to the Book of Revelation's 'Black Horse of Famine' galloping full-speed toward civilization. The world has experienced food shortages due to wars and more recently due to ruined soil and erosion and man-made shortages and poor food quality. Anthony Zarb Dimech looks into Malta's formidable and successful effort in feeding its population during the Second World War through the different measures put into place by the civil defence authorities

During the Second World War Malta was not self-sufficient in food production and thus depended to a very large extent on supplies of food reaching the island through convoys.

Malta required the sort of planning and sophistication of organisation to continually feed a population of about 260,000 civilians.  The task was of continuous flexibility in administrative organisation to keep up the efficiency and effectiveness of providing not only enough food stocks but also in other matters as shelter excavation, schooling and health care.

The Maltese agricultural production could only feed one-third of the population. Several measures were implemented to ensure food was produced, supplies and distributed fairly among the inhabitants of the Maltese islands.  Several organisations took part and new ones set up.  The most important ones  include the Rationing Office, the Agriculture Department, Food Distribution Office  and  the Communal Feeding Office or  'Victory' Kitchens.

The Rationing Office

The Rationing Office ensured that essential commodities were equitably and fairly distributed.  The work of this office was implemented through District

Commissioners and Regional Protection Officers.  The Maltese Islands were divided into North, West, South East Regions, and into Valletta, Sliema, Marsa, Cottonera Districts and Gozo. 

Family Ration Book

Every family had its own Family Ration Book issued by the Food Distribution Office.  This book was under the name of the head of the family.  This Office also issued permits to grocers to provide the customer with such essential commodities as:

• Sugar
• Coffee
• Matches
• Laundry Soap
• Lard and/or Margarine
• Edible Oil
• Corned Beef
• Tomato Paste
• Kerosene

The above list was by no means exhaustive.   It was imperative that changes in family size were to be reported to the Protection Officer within 48 hours against a penalty of not less than £5 or not more than £10.  Also changes in locality from one District to another were to be notified of the destination area.  Consumers who did not comply with these regulations risked being deprived of their rations.

Size of family was important in determining the amount of ration allotted per household. 

The amount of entitlement would vary from time to time  according to the availability of supplies during the period in question.  For instance, at the height of the Blitz between Jan/Jun and Jul/Dec 1942, the amount allotted per half month for the two respective periods reveal that supplies were dwindling and the amount allotted to families was reduced heavily.

Receipts and tickets   for the provision of supplies for the farming industry (such as seeds, Barley wheat and barley corn) were issued in different colours and  illustrated with the type of animal to be fed for ease of identification by  illiterate people

The Food Distribution Office also kept records of weekly Returns showing the position of coupons in their respective Districts in respect of essential commodities.    

The Rationing (Registration) Regulations, 1942 were implemented on 13th November 1942 and as part of the rationing organisation (on 29th October 1942).

Agriculture Department

The Director of Agriculture was empowered to prohibit the collected or sale or purchasing of any type of agricultural product.  He was also empowered to requisition any type of produce at a price not less than the wholesale price fixed by Government (at 10% less). On 3rd November 1942, the Director of Agriculture was also further empowered to enter in any fields and order the plantation of any produce according to the country's requirements.  Furthermore on 9th November 1942, the Director of Agriculture could requisition some or all potato produce and sell it at a price fixed by Government.

The Director of Agriculture also approved agreements between farmers and the middleman (Pitkal).  The Pitkal was the middleman between the farmer and vegetable vendor or greengrocer. The vegetable marketing centre is known as Pitkali.

One interesting agreement was approved by the Director of Agriculture on 1 June 1943 and this was an agreement between the farmer,  Joseph Chetcuti nicknamed ta Pawlu ta Vitor from St. Paul's Bay who had the registration number 7113 and John Bonello, the middleman,  nicknamed ta kassun from Birkirkara. The agreement laid down conditions under which the middleman agreed to buy quantities of tomatoes from the farmer:

1.                   The farmer was to cultivate flat tomatoes in a land measure of 3 tomniet (3 square measurements equivalent to 12, 100 square feet each).

2.                   The farmer was to supply to the middleman at his place of business in Qormi Road Birkirkara,  between 1 June and 30 August 1943 not more than 7,000 rotolos (net) and not less than 6,000 rotolos (net) moist-free tomatoes.

3.                   The middleman was to bind himself to pay the farmer prices that were annexed on a list to the agreement.  From the price 1 shilling 8 pence for every pound were to be deducted as brokerage fees.

Prices (1943)

The agreement was signed on 1 June 1943 covered specificially the 3 months from June to August. These 3months are the hot summer months just before the first September rainfall.  This meant that the farmer had to irrigate the tomatoes and the sooner he cultivated them the better would be their quality.

During wartime Malta, it was hard to irrigate agriculture produce (such as tomatoes, pumpkin, aubergines, green pepperas water had to be transported.  There were no pumps as today which could irrigate the crops.  In those days the quality of the produce was more geniune and lasted more, even without conserving it in a refrigerator which were not in existence.  The produce was smaller but better tasting and more nutritious in value.  This was a result of the high quality in purity of the water which passed through the rock formation and filtered.

Unfortunately nowadays water irrigation of produce results in larger fruits and vegetables but the quality and nutritional value in certain instances is questionable as sometimes even drainage water has been used in irrigation.  The product even when put in a fridge smells and decays quickly. Interestingly, the old Maltese adage, 'Ahjar kromba baghlija minn mija', (better a cabbage that grows in dry soil than a hundred that grow in irrigated soil) also hints of that better quality.

This not to mention the  severe damage inflicted by man on the earth's soil - the ultimate source of all food.  The cumulative worldwide effects of chemical fertizers and pesticdes including insecticides and herbicides and fungicides with sobering implications now confronting all nations.

Wartime Agreement between Maltese Middleman and Farmer

The Communal Feeding Department - 'Victory Kitchens'

The low amount of calories consumed by the population that were provided by the rations described in the previous section was of constant worry to the Council of Government particularly the Medical and Health Authorities who knew very well that starved people would run a higher risk of certain vitamin deficiencies and infections.  Reports by the Medical and Health Department revealed a rise in bronchitis, pneumonia, typhoid, ariboflavinosis, and pellagra 

The crowded atmospheres in shelters also contributed to the risk of communicable diseases especially lower and upper respiratory tract infections and therefore the situation had to be addressed immediately.  The name 'Victory Kitchens', replaced the Voluntary Soup Kitchen organisation for the blitzed and homeless.  These Kitchens provided a meagre daily sustenance masqueraded under the title of 'a meal' for either lunch or supper.  This consisted of poor quality 'minestra' soup, some beans, tinned fish portion, corned beef, and some goat flesh.

The family head would register with a particular 'Kitchen'.  The 'Kitchen' would have its licensed cook/s. 

The 'Siege' Kitchens of Malta were administered by the Communal Feeding Department.  They were more of an improvisation necessitated by the possibility of a more serious deterioration in the fuel and food position.

After the arrival of the Santa Marija Convoy on 15th August, 1942, the Mediterranean position improved vastly and the consequent improvement in the supply position and security of supply lines, the Government was relieved from its anxiety and granted 100% increase in the bread ration and an equally important increase in other rationed commodities.  The 'Victory' Kitchens provided the means by which nobody starved.  A minority pilfered and black-marketed.   

The Victory Kitchens were discontinued during 1943.  The purpose to economise on the use of scare fuel for cooking stoves and food provisions had reached its goal.  There was also the idea that the saying 'necessity is the mother of invention. 

With the coming into force of the rationing arrangements on January 25, 1943, the Victory Kitchens were closed as the provision of food and fuel ameliorated. The last heavy and concentrated air raid attack on Malta occurred on 20, July 1943 claiming 6 lives and seriously injuring 17 persons.  This brought to an end the fierce battle for Malta where one in every 200 of the population lost their lives.