Very often we may have looked at the labels of foreign wines and wondered what exactly was meant by the information on the label. In particular Italian and French winemakers are very specific about the origin of the wines, sometimes even specifying the vineyard where the grapes were grown. Now even some Italian cheeses specify their origin and actually guarantee that origin. Also lately, the definition of what is referred to as the Mediterranean diet has come to be very specific, and European countries bordering the Mediterranean have made sure that their traditional products also receive the seal of quality, with a guarantee of their origin.

What all this implies is that countries are increasingly seeking to give value to their local products in one way or another. The reasons why they do it are very simple. First there is the need to preserve one’s heritage. Second, there is an economic benefit to be gained from giving value to the local product. It becomes more exportable, less easy to copy, gives an identity to the country and creates a demand from visiting tourists. It is this latter reason that is more relevant to this week’s contribution.

This is not to mean that preserving one’s heritage is not important. However, if we were to recognise the economic benefits of preserving one’s heritage, maybe we would do it more willingly.

I believe that as a country we do not give enough value to the local product and all too often we are blissful in our ignorance when buying a lower quality foreign-made product, just because it is foreign. Why this is the case is difficult to understand. Maybe it is our collective inferiority complex; or it may be that foreign media exert a stronger influence on our purchasing behaviour than local marketing campaigns; or maybe we have had a negative experience once and extrapolated that to include all Maltese-made products.

We tend to forget that there are many persons in Malta who earn their living by producing something that is then exported. We may not realise that many products which we use could very well have a component that was made in Malta. Since we recognise that our economy is an open one (we export most of what we produce and import most of what we consume), we tend to forget to look for the local product when making our purchasing decisions.

Can such an attitude change? I believe yes, on condition that our producers receive the required support.

Local producers have been investing significant amounts of money to upgrade their products and promote them. Winemakers keep refining their techniques and continue churning out new products. They have also introduced the DOK label. The same applies to producers of olive oil. Others have been even bolder and created a brand for genuine Maltese and Gozitan products. The promotion of local pork is a welcome addition to the list, and there are others as the list keeps getting longer. So the private sector has not shied away from risking money in such ventures.

The products I have referred to are essentially food products. However, there are also other locally made products that require to be commercialised.

Silver and lace products are just two examples. Yet even in this case, foreign-made products dominate the market. This product development is very often supported by specific events such as Lejl f’Casal Fornaro which promotes Maltese bread or the Delicata Wine Festival. These events cost the organisers thousands of euros, with little hope of any financial return. There is an element of financial support from public funds; but it is never enough and certainly not comparable to the nature of support that foreign producers get from their own countries.

Our economy thrives and grows on its ability to export goods and services. The local market, comprising us Maltese and tourists that visit these islands, is too small to spearhead any economic growth. However, this should not mean that we do not value highly our local product.

We can derive significant economic benefit if we were to allocate more resources to assist producers to develop further their products and market them more effectively.