Pitkalija concerned as more imported produce is passed off as local

Merchants who sell their agricultural produce at the farmers’ market in Ta’ Qali, the Pitkalija, are concerned about the apparent increase in cases of imported produce being passed off as local.

The latest case took place yesterday, when foreign products were seized and a seller was put under investigation.

The government said Pitkalija officers had noticed that imported products were being negotiated. The products were seized and investigations began.

The parliamentary secretariat for agriculture said that it was committed to seeing that abusive practices that could deceive the consumer were stopped and that local products were safeguarded. Sources who spoke to The Malta Independent said this was the second time in the past few months that a seller had been caught with imported produce. While all sorts of fruit and vegetables can be imported into the country, only locally produced fruit and veg can enter the Pitkalija.

A few months ago, a trader named John Bonavia was caught selling imported produce and his pit at the market was closed for some time.

Trader Emanuel Cachia was caught doing the same this week. His pit has not been closed yet but he is being investigated.

The sources said some traders went to great lengths to disguise imported produce as local, often placing it in local packaging. In some cases, it is quite difficult to tell the difference between local and foreign produce, they explained, including vegetables such as marrows and aubergines.

The sources said, however, that there was also a lack of monitoring of what goes into the premises. More regulation and enforcement was needed, the sources said.