The agricultural labour force is made up of 19,066 people, of which17,693 or 92.8 per cent were registered as part-timers while 1,372 or 7.2 per cent worked on a full-time basis.

According to figures released yesterday by the National Statistics Office, nearly 90 per cent of farm land, 11,689 hectares, is being utilised for agriculture.

The majority of agricultural holdings in Malta and Gozo – 9,427 or 75.6 per cent – had a utilised agricultural area of less than one hectare.

Those between one and five hectares made up 22 per cent of the total and 2.4 per cent were considered to be large with a minimum of five hectares.

Up until September, the total cattle population amounted to 14,949 heads, of which 6,239 were dairy cows and 51,641 were pigs, while sheep numbered 9,916 and goat stocks 4,032 heads.

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