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Matthew Vella
Farmers running the Pitkali Crates Ltd, the not-for-profit company responsible for the washing of crates used for agricultural produce, are saying their operations have been compromised by the relocation of their washing station.
Reacting to claims by Environment and Rural Affairs Minister George Pullicino that only an average of 13 crates out of every 110 have been found to be clean after washing, the company claims their new premises is too small to carry out the washing of some 22,000 crates.
Pullicino has written to the company to address the problem and improve their operations as soon as possible, after the ministry received several complaints about the crates being soiled.
Pitkali Crates has a management agreement with the government, entitling it to a percentage of the volume of produce sold at the market. The company, made up of representatives from three farming associations, says it washes around 22,000 crates at any given time. But the new space it has been relocated to is “six times smaller” than their previous building, which is now earmarked for a new grading station.
A director at Pitkali Crates said the problem of dirty crates is happening because green grocers are not emptying them of rubbish when they deliver them to the washing station.
“The minister should instruct the grocers to clean them out before bringing them over here. The residue clogs up the washing machine’s jets. After washing some 5,000 the jets start losing power. A lot of time is wasted, over an hour, to clear the sieves,” a company director, who wanted to remain anonymous, said.
“The minister should also know we use a strong disinfectant to clean the crates. However, our new space only has place for 3,000 crates to be stacked inside. The rest are stacked at the grading station, which is due to open in weeks. Where are we going to put these other crates?”
Workers at the washing station have complained they do not have enough space to install a pre-wash machine. They also say the nearest toilet facilities are back at the original building, some 50 metres away.
“They told us we should dust the crates after washing. Can you imagine us dusting 22,000 crates?” the director said. The company employs seven workers.
“We have been telling the minister for years on end to get the grocers to clean out their crates before delivering them to the station. But so far, we still face the same problems.”
mvella@mediatoday.com.mt
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