The agriculture sector is facing a number of challenges. As a result, the prices of local produce is expected to continue rising.

This comes at a time when the country is still grappling with high inflation, adding to concerns.

The expected rise in prices is the result of a number of factors, such as the country's climate this past year leading to shortages.

Joe Cassar, manager of Malta's largest farming cooperative, the Farmers' Central Cooperative Society (FCCS), told this newsroom as much during an interview with The Malta Independent on Sunday. He told this newsroom that "when it does not rain, a number of factors go against local farmers".

Moreover, since temperatures were higher than normal in the past months, local farmers' land preparations for the colder weather will not reap the rewards expected; this is because "the produce that grows in colder temperatures will struggle to grow and will take much longer to mature".

Subsequently, he described how fruit trees "hibernate" and "get themselves ready for the following season". On this point, Cassar stated that "if cold weather does not come, then we can expect a shortage in the production of fruit in the following season".

Cassar said that while it is normal to have a dry year every five to six years, what happened this October, with just 0.2mm of rainfall, had a more negative effect. Furthermore, the lack of rainfall during the first part of autumn forced local farmers to use a lot of water and energy to irrigate their crops, which added to their costs, he said.

Cassar said that "the consumer will have to pay a higher price than usual for that product due to all these factors coming about through climate change". 

Farmers need to earn a living, so one cannot blame them for having to raise prices to make up for their costs. 

But this issue highlights how the effects of climate change are not some far off thing that's going to happen in the future. The effects are already starting to be seen.

On an international level, Malta needs to continue putting the pressure it can put on other countries to move faster on reducing their emissions and doing what they can to reduce climate change. On a local level, the government needs to come up with more ways to mitigate the effects.

When it comes to farmers, it needs to come up with more ways to support them in coping with the country's climate conditions, such as by helping to reduce their costs more.

Cassar also said that "the prices are not increasing [simply] because of us [or] because it is not raining". Produce shortages are also a result of other factors, such as plant diseases and lingering pests. This adds to their concerns and worries about their produce, and they need to be vigilant at all times due to this. If there are ways the government could better support farmers in this regard, it should.

One cannot stress the importance of supporting the local agriculture sector. The country is already overly dependent on the importation of food. The sector must be given the support it needs to not only face the aforementioned challenges, but also to entice younger generations to enter the agriculture sector also