US AMBASSADOR VISITS AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTRE AT GHAMMIERI

During a visit to the Agricultural Research and Development Centre of the Department of Agriculture at Ghammieri, Marsa, the Ambassador of the United States of America, Ms. Kathryn H. Proffitt and the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Mr. Noel Farrugia discussed the possibility of strengthening the links and establishing bilateral co-operation between the two countries in agricultural research and development.  Upon her arrival, the Ambassador was greeted by the Director of Agriculture, Mr. Franco Serracino Inglott, and several agricultural officials.

During the brief tour of the government farm, Her Excellency had the time to meet the officials who are co-ordinating new initiatives launched by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and to visit the respective sections.  Among the areas of agricultural development brought into focus were the projects of organic farming, the Hands-on-Farming, the agro-ecological survey and Agritourism.  

The Hands-on-Farming is a continuous educational programme which gives schoolchildren the opportunity to obtain  first-hand experience of farming.

The agro-ecological survey is a research project which the Agricultural Chemistry Laboratory is currently undertaking, and consists of a pilot project of agro-ecological zoning in the Mgarr area. It is planned, however, to extend this exercise to eventually include all the agricultural land in the Maltese Islands.

In relation to this project, the Minister and Her Excellency, explored the prospect of obtaining technical assistance and facilitating transfer of expertise with the aim of upgrading the facilities of the Agricultural Chemistry Laboratory.  This would enable the Agricultural Chemistry Laboratory to perform a dual role, that of providing routine soil and water analytical services to farmers and growers, as well as functioning as a research unit.

The Minister thanked Her Excellency for her interest in the Agricultural field and requested her to consider developing a street in Malta to be styled United States Avenue, through new and modern Urban and Rural Landscaping techniques.