The tedious task of peeling potatoes will from next year be made a bit more bearable for Dutch customers who buy a special sack from Malta – it will come with a Maltese poem stitched to it, translated into Dutch.

For years, the Dutch city of Leeuwarden has sent potato seeds to Malta in exchange for fresh crops. Now, the two European Capitals of Culture for 2018 will be exchanging poems along with the produce.

Eight Maltese and eight Dutch poets will write a poem every year until 2018. Every March, the Maltese poems ­– translated into English and Dutch – will be packaged and sent with the potatoes to the Netherlands.

The Dutch poets will then send their poems every October with the seeds, forming a conversation of poems over four years.

The intention is for the poems to answer each other in the same way planting and harvesting are a continuing process, according to the Dutch collaborator in this project Froukje de Jong, from the Foundation Bildtse Aardappelweken.

Malta has received the first consignment from Leeuwarden – and 1,100 specially printed sacks with Frisian poetry were sent to 50 Maltese farmers. In March, 10,000 special collector’s sacks of potatoes will be sold in Dutch supermarkets.

“The essential idea of our project is to bring the consumer to pay a visit to the producer, using all forms of art.

“Poetry is so much easier to attach to a potato sack than a sculpture or painting,” said Ms de Jong.

Poetry is so much easier to attach to a potato sack than a sculpture or painting

Her foundation, which submitted the Poetry in Potato Bags idea in Leeuwarden’s bid book for 2018, believes that the use of art encourages people to visit modern farms and create awareness of how important they are, not just for the production of daily food but also in other respects like medicine and the manufacture of plastic.

Eventually, the project will lead to a poetry book in Maltese, Frisian, English and Dutch.

Maltese poets will be invited to perform in a poetry festival in November 2018 in Leeuwarden to conclude the project.

Organisers are also hoping that young farmers from both countries can exchange good practices throughout the project.

Poetry in Potato Bags is a Valletta 2018 collaboration with Potatoes Go Wild, Inizjamed, Appoġġ, and Leeuwarden 2018.