Fruit and vegetables provided to students are no longer being sourced from Maltese farmers, adding another nail in local growers’ coffin.

Farmers who spoke to the Times of Malta said that, for years, a company had sourced fruit and vegetables from Pitkalija for an EU-funded scheme, providing pupils with fresh vegetables and fruit.

But the tender had now been awarded to another firm, which, according to some parents, provided frozen fruit and vegetable.

In a statement issued on Tuesday morning, the Environment Ministry said that it had taken note of complaints and was working with the Education Ministry to find ways of improving the system. 

Growers who spoke to Times of Malta noted that the scheme had increased the demand for fruit and vegetables among local farmers, seeing a healthy competition at Pitkalija. Sourcing fruit and vegetables from there ensured stability among crop prices, allowing the farmers a decent profit.

The sudden halting of sourcing produce from Pitkalija for the schools’ project meant the supply of fruit and vegetables would increase, lowering the price so much it was not even worth harvesting it, one farmer argued.

“We already face unfair competition from imported produce. This was another nail in the coffin: farmers are retiring one by one and no one is picking up the plough after them. This is a sign that people who inherit the land and tools do not find it profitable to venture into farming,” another one noted, adding this should set the alarm bells ringing for the authorities.

Gone to waste

When contacted, agriculture expert Malcolm Borg, who was also approached by concerned farmers, said some of the fruit and vegetables cultivated for the scheme had gone to waste.

The farmers, he said, were extremely worried about the fact that the new tender had not been won by the company that used to coordinate local farmers to supply fresh fruit and vegetables.

“Some had to throw away truckloads of crops that were ready to be supplied to the school scheme when they were informed that the tender was won by another entity.

“They had grown a lot of the same product and, suddenly, did not have a market for it any more,” Mr Borg remarked.

The change in company supplying the fruit and vegetables had a significant ripple effect on the entire sector since the produce that would have otherwise been absorbed by the scheme would now enter the Pitkali markets, further increasing supply and, thus, pushing the price downwards, he said.

This was inconceivable considering that farmers were already fetching ridiculously low prices.

Mr Borg questioned whether the tender could be drawn in a way to bind the contractor to source ingredients with the least food miles possible.

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