Schoolchildren get free fresh fruit once a week

An orange tree stands in the middle of a classroom in a Gżira primary school and tells children there how the delicious, juicy fruit ended up among its leaves.

Students at St Monica girl's primary school listen in awe as the tree waves its branches around and explains how a farmer planted and watered it so it would grow strong.

The tree asks them who likes oranges...which were yesterday freshly squeezed and delivered to them at school as part of the EU School Fruit Scheme that started this week.

Most of the children raise their hands to show they like the fruit. But one seven-year-old girl tells the tree: "I don't really like oranges... I like watermelon".

"That's no problem," the tree replies adding: "I too like watermelon. We trees and plants share fruit between us."

The tree explains to the students that, as from this week, they will be given yummy fruit or vegetables once a week.

"They will be different every week. That way, it will not be boring," Resources Minister George Pullicino says in agreement with the tree.

During a visit to grade 1 and 4 classes, yesterday, he told the children about the benefits of the fruit and vegetables brought to them through a scheme funded by the EU and the government.

The scheme started this week with the distribution of the freshly-squeezed juice in all kindergartens and primary schools. The scheme was originally planned with a €1.2 million budget, which, however, had to be slashed to €300,000 as part of a financial cutback programme to rein in the deficit.

"Do you know why it's important to eat fruit and veg," Mr Pullicino asked a class of five-year-olds.

One girl answered: "Because they're healthy... and have vitamins." He nods and adds that the greens also help people maintain a balanced diet.

"That way you won't grow as big as me," he said, making fun of his own weight.

The children giggled as he added that the fruit and vegetables they were eating were planted and cultivated by Maltese farmers.

"This scheme will help us appreciate the work of these farmers who wake up really, really early. They are in their fields while we are still fast asleep and snoring," he says, as a little girl shouts out excitedly: "My dad snores."