Malta - Countryside

Malta does grow its own fruit and vegetables although sadly farming is on the decline. Typically a Maltese farmer will grow potatoes and sell them at a premium to countries like Holland and then use the profit to import fruit and vegetable from Italy.

Water is actually more plentiful than one might imagine for such a small island with a large population. This is due to the fact that Malta has invested heavily in de-salination plants which enables the island to be self sufficient in terms of its water requirements.

Travelling around the various towns and villages a visitor will notice a fair number of vacant, often dilapidated properties. There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, peppercorn rental rates which have been inherited provide no incentive for landlords to renovate or improve the properties. Secondly, in the case of vacant or neglected buildings there is often an inheritance issue where owners working overseas or with extended families have yet to traced.

In the case of The White Rocks Holiday Complex, an ex British army residential complex, the situation is less clear. Abandoned and derelict it blights the landscape and acts as a dumping ground for refuse and fly tipping.

Malta is very green in April as the photos in our gallery clearly illustrate. It is obviously much drier and significantly less green in the height of the summer.