MITA involved in the simplification of ARPA’s IT processes

The Office of the Chief Information Officer within the Ministry for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change works with MITA in the management of the information systems that are used within the Agriculture Directorate and the Agriculture and Rural Payments Agency (ARPA).

ARPA and the Agriculture Directorate aim to assist the local farmers and breeders to produce fresh products of the highest quality. The Agriculture Directorate also aims to promote the introduction of improved methods of production in agriculture, horticulture and animal products, with special emphasis on the protection of the health of both the producer and the consumer and the safeguarding of the rural environment.

The core module of this system is the Land Parcel Identification System (LPIS). The system contains all agricultural areas, registered at the Front Office, that may be eligible for a land based measure under the Common Agricultural Policy. It is used to crosscheck the parcels for which payments have been claimed by the farmer eligible for EU aid. MITA was responsible for the determination, analysis and implementation of business requirements throughout ARPA’s IT systems, simplifying the process and improving upon accountability and transparency.

ARPA’s IT systems provide a holistic management of all aspects of the payment claim lifecycle, from the initial application process to the issuance of the payment files. Some of the characteristics of the ARPA’s system are: • Based on web enabled technologies - to support both internal staff and external beneficiaries; Information is submitted only once; User Management and responsibility; Supports staff from delegated bodies. The solution received positive remarks from past EU and other audits since: • It is a single system point of reference for applications containing information spanning multiple fund allocation campaigns; Business users can retrieve information on demand as needed; The solution supports the use of mobile devices (Laptops and GPS), for business processes and enhancing contact with the beneficiaries; Provides support for all aid measures implemented at the Agriculture and Rural Payments Agency; Has inbuilt accountancy and audit ability features; It reduces systems maintenance by affecting changes centrally. During the years, the information related to the farming community is being used by the Agriculture Directorate to help in the promotion of farming practices that enable better farm-produce production and safeguarding the rural environment. An example is the protection of groundwater from nitrate contamination specifically from agricultural sources. The solution enables the Agriculture Directorate to manage its EU obligations in relation to the Nitrates Directive. It also offers the services of a one-stop shop for the farming community from the Pitkali Markets at Ta’ Qali to provide each customer with a highquality response, ensuring that requests and complaints are dealt with quickly, fairly and in a helpful manner.

ARPA has just launched, in March, its annual application campaign for the land based applications that receive EU aid. The farming community must apply for the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) and European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) funds by 15th May. This year there are around 6,900 farmers and livestock breeders that are eligible for receiving EU aid. A prefilled application has been issued to every eligible beneficiary. The farmers and livestock breeders have a portal that will enable them to confirm their application through a few clicks. For the 6,900 farmers, it is estimated that 18,600 applications will be submitted under different schemes that are being launched this year. €3,300,000 from EAFRD funds and €4,700,000 from the EAGF funds are available for the qualifying applications.