The government has started the tendering process for repair works at the Ta’ Qali pitkali site, so that urgent structural work could kick off as soon as possible, Parliamentary Secretary Roderick Galdes said yesterday.

Referring to the vegetable market as “a showcase for the Maltese farmer”, Mr Galdes said the aim was to transform the place in the same manner that the fish market had been modernised.

Earlier this month, the agriculture parliamentary secretary said in Parliament that the site had been left in a state of disrepair for years, and leaking roofs and machinery needed to be replaced.

A showcase for the Maltese farmer

Mr Galdes was speaking at a Gvern li Jisma meeting at Castille, where he also noted that fish quotas would deal a blow to Malta and lead to the demise of the fishing tradition.

While it should adhere to EU regulations, Malta needed to discuss flexibility as a ‘one size fits all’ policy was not appropriate for the island, he said.

Mr Galdes was reacting to a question from the audience about Malta’s position on swordfish quotas. The government did not agree with quotas, he insisted, noting that the majority of the swordfish stock was netted by other countries, such as Italy.

Mr Galdes said that discussions will also be held between European and North African countries about introducing controls for African fishermen that were similar to those imposed on their European counterparts.

Speaking at the same event, Environment Minister Jose Herrera meanwhile noted that waste was the second largest challenge for the island following that of energy, which had been solved through a new power plant.

The government would be taking tough decisions about civic amenity sites, Dr Herrera said, adding that he would only be able to provide details about the reform in the coming weeks.

When asked about the Dwejra site, he said the Environment and Resources Authority was fine tuning management plans for the area, which included Roman and Phoenician shipwrecks in the vicinities.