We are barely out of the first week of 2021 and there's already a feeling that there will be an avalanche of 'consultative bodies', 'fora', 'reports' and 'meetings' all asking the same obsolete question - "What are the needs of the Maltese agricultural sector?".
MaYA is all in favour of sector-specific studies and consultations which aim for targeted, achievable and implementable solutions. However, creating more generic reports is simply a waste of valuable resources, and greenwashing attempts which lead to nothing substantial.
Our, and the sector's, most recent point of reference should be the 'National Agricultural Policy for the Maltese Islands 2018 – 2028'. Feedback from various stakeholders has been duly given and assimilated.
We are in the 3rd year of this 10-year plan, and the agricultural community is looking forward to see which parts of the recommendations have been already implemented.