Crops yield higher profit thanks to computer system

An Mtahleb farmer has managed to increase profits - cutting on fertiliser costs and boosting his yield - thanks to a computerised system to control irrigation and apply fertiliser.

Charles Micallef, a former hospital technician who is now a full-time producer of tomatoes and a number of other crops, said yesterday he had first resisted the idea that a computer could control water and fertiliser. However, he would not go back to his random and rudimentary methods now that he has discovered the new system.

The system used by Mr Micallef, which was designed with the help of engineers, enabled him to reduce fungicides by 75 per cent, while applying 80 per cent less of the fertiliser he used to throw into the soil before.

The automated system enables the farmer to monitor and record the amount of water used to irrigate the crops. The system also has sensors which monitor the soil for the amount of fertiliser, its acidity and also the amount of salt present, which in turn prompts the system to compensate according to the best conditions needed for the plants to grow.

"Since I started using these methods, the product has become much better," Mr Micallef said, adding that he also managed to produce good, pre-season products.

"The use of fertiliser has gone down from tonnes to grammes in my case. Less fertilisers in the soil means less fertilisers ending up in the water table," the farmer said.

Mr Micallef said another project he had in the pipeline was a system with which he would automatically control the climatic conditions inside the greenhouses, such as temperature, light and the amount of carbon dioxide.

The Minister for Rural Affairs and the Environment, George Pullicino, who visited Mr Micallef's fields as part of a series of activities in connection with Environment Week, said Mr Micallef's methods could serve as an example for others in the local agricultural industry. He said the Agriculture Department was closely working with Mr Micallef who was keen to share his knowledge with other farmers.

Mr Pullicino stressed the growing importance of relating agriculture with education. "We need to support the industry by a new generation of farmers who appreciate the benefits of applied technology," he said.

Students from the Agro-Industry Institute of the Malta College of Arts Science and Technology, together with university students from the Faculty of Agriculture, were also present.