NGO Widien Artna has called on the authorities responsible for rural politics to investigate why farmers have lost money due to the Government’s agricultural politics.

Despite spending more than €160 million since 2004, production targets have not been reached, the NGO said.

It was planned that this investment would see the production of 100 million dozen eggs, but only 60 million dozen were produced.

Fresh production of pork had to reach 132,000 kilos but made it to 62,000, while only half of the planned seven million kilos of poultry was produced.

The production of processed tomatoes should have reached 28 million kilos, but fell to eight million, while 40,000 of the planned 50,000 tonnes of milk were produced.

Farmers also had to uproot vines as they were not producing grapes, the statement said.

Widien Artna was set up by MPs Noel Farrugia and Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando in March with the aim to protect valleys.