Nursery proves successful in fruit tree production

Environment Minister George Pullicino yesterday visited the nursery at St Vincent de Paul during the subsidised sale of fruit and olive trees and vines.

Fruit trees were sold at the subsidised rate of Lm1.70 each and olive trees at Lm2.50. The rootstock of vines and fruit trees which could be grafted by farmers were sold at the subsidised price of 25c each.

Malta had been assisted by the Bari Agronomic Institute of the Mediterranean - the CIHEAM - in the setting up of the nursery.

The nursery this year produced more than 9,000 fruit trees which were enough to keep up with the orders of farmers without the need to import fruit trees.

This success was primarily due to the good material being produced at the Plant Biotechnology Centre in Lija under modern disease-free conditions, Mr Pullicino said.