A Labour government would assist farmers, herdsman and all those involved in agriculture to seek to identify and develop new markets, acting party leader Charles Mangion said yesterday, as he urged them to develop their industry.
Speaking at the end of a seminar about agriculture, Dr Mangion said globalisation was a reality and one could either try to resist it, or ride the wave of change and prosper.
"If we want to protect agriculture, we have to change. One cannot avoid market realities but Malta can compete in certain sectors. If organic farming can provide a solution, it should be explored," he said.
Agriculture ranked high on the MLP's agenda, he said, even though its contribution to the GDP was very small.
MLP spokesman on rural affairs Noel Farrugia said structures should be put in place to improve the marketing of Maltese produce. The party was in touch with foreign investors who are willing to go into partnership with local producers and invest in livestock if the conditions are appropriate.
"We have many practical solutions but no magic formula and everyone has to shoulder part of the burden," Mr Farrugia said.
Peter Axisa, the chief executive officer of the Ta' Qali Producers' Group, said he was not so concerned with statistics that showed farmers to be an aging group because, only last week, a young part-time farmer told him he was doing so well that he was turning full time.
George Carbone said the time for protection of agricultural produce through levies and import restrictions was over, but local farmers had to have a level playing field to be able to compete. There was a substantial decline in the production of pork and poultry and this had to be addressed and reversed, he argued.
Sammy Vella made a case for the promotion of organic farming, arguing that no produce tested for pesticides from the pitkali was found to be above recommended levels, though this did not mean that no traces were present. Pesticide-free crops from organic farming could be sold at a premium and demand could be created for them, he said.
Mr Vella said the fact that most farmers were still not members of producer organisations showed something was wrong. "Maybe they are not yet aware of how beneficial this could be for them," he said.