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Agriculture may be the most taken-for-granted industry on the island. Why shouldn’t it be when Malta has become almost completely dependent on imported food? Both the supermarkets and your local grocer are stuffed with fruit, vegetables, meats and dairy froFarmers’ lot is not a happy one
Agriculture may be the most taken-for-granted industry on the island. Why shouldn’t it be when Malta has become almost completely dependent on imported food? Both the supermarkets and your local grocer are stuffed with fruit, vegetables, meats and dairy from nearby Sicily and even faraway China, rendering a lot of local produce – except to those who seek it out specifically – a near irrelevance. If local farmers were to cease all supply today, we would still survive very well indeed. Not so, however, the other way around. It seems the realisation has not yet sunk in that dependence on imported food is a strategic weakness for a country. It would be a serious threat to our wellbeing if some natural or man-made crisis were to cause overseas supplies to dry up. It’s as if August 15, 1942, when Malta was saved from the brink of war-induced starvation, never happened. Other countries are working towards strengthening their food security, such as Qatar (which is battling a blockade from neighbouring Gulf states) and Singapore. Even if only for this reason, Malta needs to have a close look at the sector with a view to reversing its gradual but steady decline. Instead, we have tales... Read more