Ta’ Qali grading station

I refer to the article entitled Ministry Explains Withdrawal Of Funds Over Farmers’ Crates (August 18).

While not wanting to get involved in the issue between Pitkali Crates Ltd and the government, in the name and on behalf of the Ta’ Qali Producers Group (TQPG) I would like to clarify and correct two misleading facts concerning TQPG as mentioned in the paragraph before last, namely: “But the government pointed out that Pitkali Crates Ltd was a signatory to the management agreement with the Rural Affairs Ministry and TQPG, to which part of its space had been passed on.”

Please note the facts:

It is not true that Pitkali Crates Ltd was a signatory to the management agreement. Pitkali Crates Ltd is not even mentioned in the management agreement. The space taken over sometime in 2004 was turned into a grading station, thanks to the Fifth Protocol Agreement signed between the respective Italian and Maltese governments, with the scope of servicing the produce that entered the Pitkalija. This project never took off the ground and the grading station, machinery, equipment and all, was left idle for well over two years.

The protagonists endeavouring to form TQPG realised that one of the requisites of forming a group is to have a grading and packing station.

Knowing that the grading station was sitting there gathering dust and rust, just waiting for someone to make use of it and knowing that without having a grading station we would not qualify to form a Producer Group, we decided to approach the government and our suggestion was soon taken aboard and a management agreement was signed on May 3, 2006.

So it is true that “part of the space” was passed onto TQPG but after sitting idle for about two years. TQPG was not even thought of and conceived when the warehouse was taken over from Pitkali Crates Ltd. The impression one gets from the article is that the “space” was taken from Pitkali Crates Ltd specifically to be given to TQPG.

This is definitely not the case and all is documented, despite the misinformation that is going round, including what has been published by The Times. I trust that this sets things straight.