The contribution of agriculture to the development of the Maltese economy, with special reference to the local dairy industry

Abstract

Agriculture in Malta is a very old industry. Although it has been developed and adopted over the years, yet further modernisation and adoption is needed so that the best use can be made of the agricultural potential in the Maltese Islands. With this thought in mind I will give a brief layout of the various phases of development which the agricultural sector went through up till the present day. In the "Malta Illustrata" of Abela written in 1647 we find a description of Malta. Amongst other things Abela wrote: "A country is said to be placed in favourable conditions, when besides other properties it has a good climate, a fertile soil and an abundance of fresh water ... The soil is very fertile and it produces all the crops on which man generally lives. The fields of the Islands can be divided into three classes: some are situated in the hillsides

and are rather rocky; others are in the plains, the soil of which is very deep; others are placed in the valleys. Those on the hillsides are useful for grazing purposes; those in the plains produce corn, wheat and other cereals, which for their quality outstand those produced in Sicily; the fields in the valleys, receiving a great abundance of rain, form evergreen patches of beautiful gardens. The Maltese excel in cotton and they produce excellent cloth which is renowned abroad." For centuries past agricultural productivity has been largely for subsistences except for cotton and cumen seed which were both exported to other Mediterranean countries. By the 17th century cotton became more important and in fact the production of cotton grew rapidly. The development of the Cotton Industry took place while there was a rapid decline in the production of corn. From the 16th century onwards, urbanisation slowly created a considerably big indigeneous market. With the disappearance of the trade in cotton during the 19th century, the home market became completely dominant. There was an attempt to set up a Milk Industry in the middle of the 18th century but this failed. In fact the domestic market for milk is of recent origin. In the beginning of the 19th century potatoes became profitably exportable while the rapid growth in urbanisation increased the size and wealth of the home market.