Prodott ta’ Kwalità scheme launched
Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights Clint Camilleri this week launched the Prodott ta’ Kwalità scheme.
Camilleri said this was an electoral pledge and the Government has always believed in a policy of quality for agricultural products in Malta because it believes in the natural goodness of many of the country’s products.
The PS announced that, for the very first time in our country, we have managed to establish a quality scheme for agricultural products which farmers and herdsmen can now apply for.
Clint Camilleri said that in order to carry out this policy, the Government has built a legal and administrative framework so that the policy is planned as an open process which guarantees real quality products. At the helm of this structure is the Agriculture Department, which has worked and will continue to work to ensure the implementation of this project.
Marka ta’ Kwalità is a guarantee to the purchaser that the purchased product not only meets the European minimum standards, which all Maltese products must meet, but that it also contains certain qualities. Such qualities, for instance, include the way it was grown or reared, treated, and packaged or delivered, thus ensuring that it is being delivered in a manner that showcases its quality and the dependability of the process behind it. The properties may be linked to taste, ingredients, appearance, environmental conditions ensured in the process, or the social contribution which a certain brand of product or products make towards the community. The key factor behind the quality policy is to reward producers who make a greater effort with better prices, and to facilitate transparency for the benefit of the consumer.
The quality is displayed to the consumer through quality brands, but the quality in question is not merely a label affixed to a product. Marka ta’ Kwalità is a means of protection for genuine products and producers and has to ensure that the product was truly produced in a transparent manner, and that during its production, standards which are higher than those required by law were maintained.
Camilleri said that this brand will significantly boost all those who have already adopted a professional and sustainable way of work, as well as encourage those who want to sell a good quality product to take the next step. Camilleri went on to explain that for the realisation of this sustainable policy, and for this policy to be able to work independently, it has been ensured that anyone who participates in the preparation of Marka ta’ Kwalità can benefit from EU funds. As such, Maltese producers given the possibility to adopt high standard practices, and Marka ta’ Kwalità will be recognised by the European Commission.
The Agriculture Directorate’s Marco Dimech gave a presentation on the legal framework of the scheme, the effort that will be made by the Government to promote such branded products, and on how to guarantee that the products which fall under this brand truly reach higher standards than those established by law. He explained that currently, the dairy, honey, pork and tomato-processing sectors are being consulted.
Camilleri said the agricultural sector will be assisted in the promotion of quality products and that therefore, in the coming months, a publicity campaign will commence in order to communicate and promote this scheme to all Maltese consumers.