Putting Malta on the international food map

An initiative to revive the indigenous Maltese olive has been launched with a view to "put Malta on the food map".

The project is aimed to produce certified olive oil and related products.

The brainchild of Sam Cremona, considered an authority in this field, Primo - Project For the Revival of the Indigenous Maltese Olive - would also serve to upgrade the environment. It is being supported by Bank of Valletta.

Charles Borg, executive head at the bank's CEO's office, said the project was the first major environmental initiative the bank was supporting this year. The first stage of the project involves a survey to assess the public's interest to grow such trees - any number - in their fields.

The bank will support the administration of the survey and is accepting application forms up to February 17. Once applications, available from all BoV branches, are received, the project coordinators would be able to calculate the number of trees that need to be distributed.

The long-term idea would be to set up a cooperative, with the support of the bank, that would produce enough olive oil, and eventually other related quality products, to put it on the international market.

Mr Cremona said the interest has already been "phenomenal", and a minimum of 1,000 applications was guaranteed, but he believed the demand would be much stronger.

Through the launch of Primo, small- to medium-sized landowners are being encouraged to plant olive trees. Applicants could plant any amount of olive trees - even 10 - as the number did not make a difference, Mr Cremona said.

"Malta's resources are so limited that, when you come up with an idea of the sort, you are either labelled mad or you give up!" But Mr Cremona has never been put off, nor has he ever considered throwing in the towel.

After planting his first olive trees in 1992 on his property in Wardija, Mr Cremona produced the first oil from his trees in 1998. In 1999, he started pressing other people's olives, and in 2003, upgraded the olive press to a larger, professional set-up to cater for his and other growers' increased production.

Over the last six years, the planting of olive trees has boomed and the pressing of olives has gone up to hundreds of tonnes from virtually nothing, he said.

"We envisage that, in the coming five years, the production of olives and olive oil from the trees already planted should shoot up to thousands of tonnes of olives, leading to a healthy olive oil industry".

Importing olive trees from overseas was not the way forward and involved risks, Mr Cremona pointed out.

"Achieving a certification for this indigenous product is an opportunity not to be missed and, today, we are proud to be launching the second phase of this interesting long-term project, with the active involvement of BoV," an enthusiastic and passionate Mr Cremona said, pouring his thick aromatic oil onto a variety of sumptuous olives, drizzled in a tasty concoction of fresh herbs, and onto a delicious, creamy paste, prepared by his wife, with green olives, capers, almonds, chili and fennel, and spread over olive-studded focaccia bread.

Mr Cremona's dream is for these unique Maltese products to be known and in demand overseas.

Primo was also being supported by Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture and Fisheries Francis Agius, who spoke of the qualities - even medicinal - of olives, as well as their strategic, religious and even archaeological relevance.

The indigenous Maltese olive tree needed to be pushed and promoted, Dr Agius said, adding that the pressing of olives increased tenfold between 2004 and last year and has been on the rise for the last four years.